Walking Against the Wind
by WilSquare
Summary: "I am a monster. No, I don't mean the kind of monster children are afraid to find under their beds, but nevertheless, a monster. I am a different kind of monster. The kind that breaks bones, takes lives, mostly from those who deserve it, but, at times, from those who don't."
1. A Steel Honeycomb

Prologue

 _Hello._

I am a monster. No, I don't mean the kind of monster children are afraid to find under their beds, but nevertheless, a monster. I am a different kind of monster. The kind that breaks bones, takes lives, mostly from those who deserve it, but, at times, from those who don't. I walk the dusts of the Wasteland, fists clenched and insanity clawing at the outer reaches of my mind, hoping to atone for those lives that were lost due to my actions, and inaction. I am getting ahead of myself, though.

Perhaps I should start with my name. It's Paul. I was born in a vault, and was told I would die in that very vault, though it seems the chances of that are rather slim from the angle I'm sitting at. I grew up there, I _was_ a member of that vault, but it was never my home. I did not belong there, and I never would, no matter how hard I tried. I remember the clothes I wore: a baggy, blue jumpsuit with a large, yellow "101" emblazoned on the back, which was just a banner that all others could fall under, minus me.

"A model citizen", they called me after I strapped the green screened computer on my wrist at my tenth birthday party.

"You are just like your father!" they said when the G.O.A.T. foretold that I would be following the same career path.

I am neither of those things.

Maybe, though, I am like my mother, whom I never met.

My father always told me about her. She was passionate, and had a heart big enough for two people. He said that when she died right after my birth, part of her heart was left in me, too. I don't know much of it, though. I can be a very chilling individual when the need arises, so it couldn't have been more than a fraction.

I am very passionate about what I do, however. What do I do? Well, you'll learn much about that later.

She was the first of the blood on my hands. The second was later in my life. The third would follow soon after, due to cowardice, and the rest would become innumerable.

Chapter One

 _A Steel Honeycomb_

Despite what you may have discovered out in the Wasteland, not all of the Vaults were death-traps. Some were nice places to live, that is, until something goes wrong. They are a few things, though. They are cold, metallic, and almost lonely when you learn that there is indeed a world that isn't more than a handful of people all huddling in a bunker. Nevertheless, some are safe. I emphasize _some_. Vault 101 was one of those shelters that was not entirely meant for experimentation, and I was fortunate enough to live my childhood inside of one.

My earliest memory of Vault 101 was of my time as a toddler. Everything else before that was just a blur, almost blank, save for the hushed whispers of distant conversations that were only the fragmented memories of a baby.

"Hey, hey, Paulie!" my father sweetly beckoned me as my gaze went from the assorted toys and other children around me to him. He sighed and smiled as my eyes focused. "Look at daddy, over here!" He stood at the other side of the room, seemingly as tall as a giant to my young self, clad in a white lab coat. If I remember one thing about my dad, it was that he always wore that lab coat. It suited him.

I tried to form an actual word (don't ask me what it was, it's hard enough to remember this as it is) and failed. Instead, I opted to spout babble, with, "Dada," placed somewhere I believe. Fun fact that was my favorite thing to say at the time.

It was also the only thing I knew how to say.

Instinctively, I began to push myself off the ground and onto my feet as my father continued.

"Come on, right over here. Show everyone how well you can walk." He continued to instruct.

I looked around at the wide open room. Many other adults, none of which I knew at the time, were all eyeing me, faces solid with either doubt or anticipation. Like monoliths they stood, muttering to each other as to not distract my small mind from my father.

The ground was cold under my bare feet. It always was. In all honesty, the whole vault was pretty damn cold. I have no idea why they kept it that way, but I'm pretty sure I had never felt a temperature above sixty degrees for nineteen years. You can imagine that it was like diving headlong into a furnace when I finally did see the outside world, but I digress.

"You're almost there!" my father said as he crouched down and motioned for me to walk. "Just a few more steps." he clapped a little and continued to motion for me.

I carefully placed one foot in front of the other. Slowly and steadily, I repeated the process, never taking my eyes off the dark-haired doctor until I was halfway across the room.

"I bet he falls, watch him." A woman spoke sourly, her words slightly slurred.

"Oh hush, DeLoria, your son hasn't even managed to go two steps yet." The elderly woman next to her chastised.

DeLoria huffed, then glared intensely at the older woman.

She sighed. "Just let someone else have the spotlight for just a while, okay?" She suggested lightly.

A mere few steps separated me from my goal when I began to stumble. I tried to maintain my balance, but my legs buckled beneath me, and I collided with the ground in spectacular failure.

You can guess that my next action was to wail for all that I was worth.

My father, being as he was, immediately jerked, desperate to help me up. He hesitated, though, which gave me all the time I needed.

Again, with tears still streaming down my cheeks, I pushed myself off the ground to chase after that lab coated giant before me. I wasn't about to stop when I was so close, not when my father was almost within my grasp.

My father recoiled as his arms were already reaching out to me to help me when I rose to my feet once again. He smiled proudly as I shakily wandered towards him again, with renewed intensity.

I reached out for his hands as I began to stumble, and he caught me.

"Great job, pal!" he chuckled as I bounced with glee. "You're a little fighter aren't you? Won't let a stumbling block get in your way, huh? Not even a little fall could put a stop to you!" he congratulated me as I proceeded to put my own hand in my mouth. He stood up and exhaled, still smiling. "Catherine, you should see your son." He whispered under his breath.

In the next few moments I found myself being lifted into the air and cradled close to his chest. "Your mom would be so happy right now, seeing you walk in front of everyone like that. Now, she wouldn't have let you fall," he explained, no doubt forgetting I had no idea what he was saying. "Not like I did," he mumbled but still retaining humor, "She would've been there before you could even think about falling."

A series of coordinated dings sounded in the room, breaking my attention from my father. The other giants all turned their gaze to the rotund transparency just above us as a voice began to fill the air.

"James Carver, would you please report to my office, please?"

The giants looked at each other, confused and worried.

"Yes, you can bring your son. Please do, in fact. You don't have to leave him down below this time." He advised, then concluded his directive with a crackle of static.

"Oh boy." my father groaned. "Guess the man upstairs wants to talk." he explained as he walked over to the large, metal door leading to the adjacent room. "Say bye-bye to all the others okay?" The door slid upwards with a hiss and a clank. He turned with me in his arms, and only grinned when I looked at him blankly.

Then, the door closed and locked itself, and we were alone in the stairwell.

"Alphonse, what is it this time?" My dad muttered, somewhat irritably. We frequented the Overseer's office, although I had no idea what for. All I cared about was being able to play with Amata, my best friend. She was the same age as I, as were all the other children in the vault, curiously enough. Amata, though, was the only one I was interested in associating with. I didn't want bother with the others, and they didn't care much for me either.

My father trudged up the stairs, and despite being only a year old, I could send his distaste for the situation. His face read out his emotions aloud, and they were at a reading level even someone without a knowledge of how to read could understand.

His face was written in a language everyone understands, I suppose.

When he reached the top of the stairs, we rounded the corner and continued across a walkway, and into another hallway. Windowed rooms lined the corridor, though I made no effort to see what was in them at the time. My father passed them quite quickly as well, much faster than my young mind could comprehend.

The door to the Overseer's office slid upwards into the ceiling above, and my father took a deep breath. "You wanted to see me, sir?" He asked, knowing full well that Alphonse had summoned him.

"Yes, I believe I spoke with you yesterday about..." He began, not intending to finish his sentence.

"Hmm? Oh, of course." He remembered, bouncing me in his arms.

Alphonse, as stern as ever, looked directly at me, eyes conveying his indifference towards me. "Well, if we are to get started, then I suggest you set your son down over there, in the pen." He instructed, then pointed to the corner of the room.

My father complied without a single protest, and hurriedly set me down. I wasn't a very big fan of the sudden separation of us, but I was able to forgive it as Amata was also in the pen with me.

She was reading a colorful book, one that I had a copy of as well. The cover read, "You're S.P.E.C.I.A.L.!", and displayed the Vault-Tec mascot, thumb extended and grinning as always. Throughout the thick, cardboard-like pages, he would be displayed in different poses and fashions, all relating back to the acronym for which the book was named.

I enjoyed looking at the colorful illustrations, and Amata did as well. Every page had an indention where you could rotate an unseen circle until it read a number form one to ten. I was never one for the numbers, as they didn't seem very important to me.

It's not as if some numbers or arbitrary stat points determine your life anyway.

The rest of the day was just a blur as Amata and I played for an unknown amount of time. The time from then to my tenth birthday was rather dull. Though, this may also be rather dull, but I'll try to explain it in a way that keeps you interested.

The morning of my tenth birthday, my father woke me up, saying that we had to get ready because something was happening in the diner. I wasn't sure what it was, so I hurried and got my ready.

"Brush your teeth, tie your shoes, make your bed, put on a jumpsuit that isn't wrinkled, and comb your hair for God's sake!" he said as he looked out of the room and down the hallway. "You weren't raised in a barn, you were raised in a vault."

Once I was ready, we left our small vault room and headed up to the cafeteria. I could see from down the hall that the lights were off, which was only slightly worrying after all the stories I had heard rumors about the Overseer actually being a cannibal and eating kids in the cafeteria when no one was around.

Fun fact, I started that rumor, but I'll continue without delving into that too much.

As we approached, I saw something move inside the room and smiled. I knew what was going on. I didn't expect what happened next, though. The light of a thousand suns vomited into my eyes all at once and I couldn't see a thing for at least five seconds. Along with the disorienting light, many familiar voices shouted, "Surprise", all at once.

Another voice, belonging to Officer Gomez complained about the dangers of such sudden lights to everyone eyesight. Stanley, who was standing next to the light switch, laughed it off without a second thought.

"Happy birthday, Paul!" my dad said while he patted me on the back and handed me a party hat. I strapped to my head as he continued. "I hope I didn't ruin the surprise last week when I..."

"Hello there." a tired, almost irritated sounding voice said to me from behind. It belonged to the gray-haired Overseer of Vault 101, Alphonse Almodovar, the father of my best friend, Amata. "I guess I don't need to tell you how important today is, young man." he said condescendingly.

"Good guess." I replied in a snarky voice.

My father flicked me on the back of my head. "Behave."

Alphonse chuckled, feigning entertainment, or possibly approval at my moxie. "Down here in Vault 101, when you turn ten years old, you're ready for a few responsibilities." he spoke as if he were reading a card. The only reason he wasn't was because he had said it several times already, I'm sure. "I present to you, your very own Pip-Boy 3000." He said in a very unenthused tone.

In the old Overseer's hand was a metal, almost tube-like device. It had a screen, which was dark at the time, a wheel at the top right with labeled categories next to it, a Geiger counter, a speaker as well as a radio, and some sort of tape holder on top. I took it from his hand and fastened it around my arm, the back of it snapping together with a satisfying "click." I pressed the power button just below the screen, and the wrist computer blinked to life. The screen was instantly filled with green text scrolling upwards, a boot sequence. Once it was done, the Vault-Tec mascot appeared and animated into his signature thumb up and eerily smiling pose.

"Go wild. It's a big deal." The Overseer spoke up again after a few moments. He turned on his heel and walked away saying that I, "would receive my first job assignment tomorrow." He sat down in one of the booths, across from Old Lady Palmer.

My father shook me, as my eyes had been glued to the screen of my new device for a little too long. "Hey, you can mess with it later. Enjoy the party!"

"Happy birthday!" said Amata cheerily, who was running from the other side of the room where her father was. She had one of her hands behind her back and swiped one strand of her hair out of her face with the other, only for it to fall back down again. "We sure surprised you, didn't we? It was all my idea! The party!" she said triumphantly.

"I wasn't surprised." I said turning my nose up into the air. "Nice try though." I snorted in the most obnoxious manner I could muster.

"Yeah, whatever!" Amata said with a fake pouting look on her face. "Don't you want to know what I got you?" she rocked from side to side with a grin on her face. She had a rather distinctive object behind her back and was doing a poor job of hiding it.

"It wouldn't be comic book, would it?" I asked, feigning surprise.

"Wrong! It's a..." Amata made a face, and I could almost hear the machinations in her head firing on all pistons. "Yeah...it's a...how did you know?" She asked, genuinely surprised.

I raised an eyebrow and opened my mouth.

The "You cheated." She said, faking a frown. "Hmph! Well, I don't know if Grognak the Barbarian would approve of cheaters. In fact, I think he wouldn't like them very much!" She teased. "Guess I oughta keep it for myself..."

"Yeah, well I bet he isn't happy about you being so ditzy, either." I reached out and grabbed it. I opened it to page one immediately, seeing the axe-wielding hero in all his brutish glory. Even to this day, I still have that same comic, as well as a wealth of others. "Thanks a lot, Amata!" I said "Where did you find it though? Does the vault have a hidden comic factory that I don't know about?" I gasped, thinking I had already solved the mystery.

"No, I found that in a box of my dad's old things." she said scratching her head. "Who would've thought that my dad had things like that? He's so..." she searched for a word.

"Old?" I interjected.

"Yeah." she laughed. "Y'now, that hidden comic factory gives me an idea though. There could be one!"

I looked at her, puzzled. "What?"

"I mean, he had to get it from somewhere, right? The vault's been closed for 200 years!" she explained. "We should go look for it!"

I really had no say in the matter. Once she had an idea in her head, there was no talking her out of it and it led to a disaster more often than not. Amata always had a strange way of getting me in trouble, and I usually tried to help get us out but it ended up making things worse. Ah, how naive we were.

At the counter, Andy, the resident Mr. Handy (a property of General Atomics International) was preparing to cut the birthday cake, with his buzz-saw no less. I don't know who had the bright idea of giving a butler robot a cutting tool like that, but I would absolutely love to meet them. Andy lowered his spindly, metal arm with the buzz-saw, well, buzzing, and onto the cake.

"Andy!" Amata shouted out only a second too late. The cake was mutilated and thrown about. The wreckage brought about by the 'bot had set about a rather awkward silence in the room. I was a little upset, but I didn't (and still don't) see how the cake was ruined. It was just as good, only a fair bit less pretty on the outside.

I strolled over to the remains of the fluffy dessert, scooped up a bite, and tasted it. I gave it a thumbs up and everyone just looked at my father.

"He's your son alright." Old Lady Palmer said as she burst into laughter. It was contagious, as everyone else started laughing as I took another bite, my father joining in. The tone had instantly changed in the room as a few more came up to take a bit to their plate. It was a sight to see. Everyone was laughing and having a good time, with mushed dessert and disproportionate amounts of cake and icing.

I wandered and mingled, receiving a few more gifts, like a baseball cap from and a lengthy explanation about the process of repairing a Pip-Boy from Stanley, a sweet-roll from Old Lady Palmer, which almost immediately drew attention from Butch DeLoria, the local vault bully. I usually referred to him as "Bitch" though, which was juvenile, but it got under his skin all the same.

"Hey!" Butch called out to me from a booth where he sat with his two lackeys, Wally Mack and Paul Hannon. "Gimme that sweet-roll!" he said pointing to it in my hand. "I want some cake!"

I wasn't going to just hand it over, obviously. Even at only ten years old, I had already begun to have a sarcastic streak, and Butch of course was a common victim.

Not a chance, Butch. You're already staring the zipper on your jumpsuit anyway." I said taking a bite of the sweet-roll and then grinning at him.

The next thing I knew, Butch had punched me square in the face, right in the nose. He pushed me onto the ground and was on top of me in the next second. I blocked his fists, and took a shot at him. My hand connected to his chest and pushed him back a little, throwing him off-balance.

I took another swing at him, hitting him right in the jaw. His face was red with fury, as were his eyes because he had started crying after the first hit. He rushed at me and I braced myself for the impact, but he was cut short by an arm.

"Butch DeLoria, what on earth has gotten into you?!" Officer Gomez bellowed as he held Butch in front of him. He pushed him away and pointed to a booth in the corner of the room. "Go!" said Gomez as he pointed again. Butch sniffled and walked away, rubbing his jaw. He sat down and pouted, with the look of utter defeat on his face.

"Are you alright, Paul? He didn't...Shi-...um...Shoot." Gomez turned around quickly and grabbed a few napkins and handed them to me. "Here, your nose is bleeding." I looked down and there was blood dripping onto the ground, so I covered my nose and tilted my head back.

"Come on, let's sit down." Amata came over and led me to where she was sitting before. "Your dad will be back in a minute, he said he had to go see Jonas about something."

He must have slipped out when I wasn't looking.

Soon after, my dad re-entered the room, with a smile on his face that disappeared when he saw me; nose in the air with a napkin held over it.

"Can't leave for five minutes, can I?" he said as he used the PA system to call Jonas.

The speaker on the wall popped and crackled as Jonas answered. "What's going on, Doc?"

"We'll...uh...be a few minutes. Paul has a nosebleed." he sighed. "No doubt from a fight." he mumbled under his breath.

"Did he win?" Jonas asked, genuinely interested.

"Probably not."

Once my nose had stopped bleeding, my Dad told me to head downstairs to Jonas and that he had a surprise for me. I waved to the guests and ran down the hall, turning the corner and heading down two flights of stairs. I opened the door to the small reactor room, where Jonas was standing around. He tried his best to look completely serious as he confronted me.

"What are you doing down here, Paul?" he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at me, pretending as if I hadn't heard him talking with my father about me coming downstairs a little while before. "You know kids aren't allowed down here, especially not ones who's names happen to be Paul.

"Um, my name's not Paul?" I said with a childlike voice. "I'm new around here?" I crossed my arms, mimicking his stance.

"Well, I guess someone better let your dad know, then! He'll have to run all kinds of scary tests on you! Standard procedure, you know the drill. Or maybe you don't since you're new around here." he said, the fake seriousness breaking. "I guess you'll get to watch the birthday boy try out his new...well I'll let his dad tell you." he pointed behind me to my father who was descending the stairs at that time.

"What is it, dad?!" I asked as my excitement got the better of me.

"What do you mean, father? I thought you were new around here." My dad asked with all the seriousness of Jonas, which wasn't much.

"C'mon, what is it?" I asked, peering round him to catch a glimpse of what he was hiding.

He pulled out a small gun from behind him, a BB gun, and held it out to me. I grabbed it and rotated it around, examining the mostly wooden weapon.

"For real?" I asked incredulously. "Can I shoot Butch with it?"

"Easy, it may be a BB gun, but it's not something to play with! You can still hurt someone with it, so I don't want to hear about my son shooting other ill-mannered children in the rear, okay?" my dad commanded as he made a motion to Jonas. "Even though they may deserve it. Ah well, come on, over here."

We proceeded to the next room over, where three targets were set up on the far side. My dad explained that those targets were there for shooting, and that I could come down there and practice anytime I wanted. I wasn't a very good shot, and it took me a few tries to hit all of the targets, but I got the hang of it. There was even a radroach (which is basically just a giant version of your standard cockroach) that came out. I smashed it with a piece metal tubing after taking several missed shots at it.

That day, despite the trouble I had encountered, was pretty great. It was probably my favorite childhood memory, much more so than my first crush, or that time when I got in a fight with Butch's gang, the Tunnel Snakes right outside Mr. Brotch's classroom when we were supposed to be taking the G.O.A.T.

I may not have won that fight, but it was three against one. I was fine, though, and returned home later that day with only a black eye and a sore abdomen, with an incredible score on the G.O.A.T.

It wasn't until years later, when I was nineteen years old, that everything came crashing down. I remember the morning clearly. I woke up to the sound of sirens, and the Overseer ranting over the PA about being confined to our quarters. I looked around, and my dad was nowhere to be seen. I assumed he was just down at his office, so I just sat down on the couch and started watching television. The channels we got were shit. Always re-runs. I really wondered why there were no new shows being made, it was as if the world had ended or something.

About three minutes later, a knock came at my door. I opened the door and a very distraught Amata was there to greet me. She looked terrified as she brushed past me without a word. Her hair was a mess, and her clothes were equally as ragged. I closed the door behind me and sat down.

"What's going on?" I asked. "Stay up late studying? Want some cereal or something? I ate the last of the Sugar Bombs, but we still have..."

"Are you serious?" she screamed out suddenly.

I was taken aback by her apparent love for the sugary cereal. It was no secret that she prized them highly, but not to such an extent. "Yes. I really did eat the Sugar Bombs." I said, actually confused by her sudden outburst. "Look, I know you like them too, but..."

"Don't you know what's going on?" she asked, looking around as if she were checking to make sure she wasn't followed. "Have you not been listening to my dad?"

"No. I never do. Did someone piss in his coffee this morning? Again? It wasn't me this time." I raised my hand, "I swear. Not crossing my fingers, either."

"It's your dad! He...he's gone! He left the vault, I don't know how, but he did!" she stammered, as she paced back and forth, and sounded like she was fighting back tears. "And they...they killed Jonas! They just beat him when he wouldn't talk! Now they're looking for you!" she buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

I dropped the remote, and felt fear wash over me. No doubt my face was pale as I sat in disbelief. "What?!" I finally said. "Look at me, okay? Look at me, Amata." I asked, furious over the death of Jonas. "Who killed Jonas? Huh?! Who. Killed. Jonas?!"

"Who?!"


	2. Radiation and Dust

Chapter Two

Radiation and Dust

~August 17, 2277~

"Who. Killed. Jonas." I repeated slowly. My heart was racing, and my face was flushed with rage, not at her, of course. She was just as much of a victim that day as anyone else, but I needed an answer. "Come on, Amata! Who was it, specifically?" I grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the face.

She wiped the tears out of her eyes and sniffled one time, then looked up with determination in her eyes. "It doesn't matter, you're leaving!" she said standing up. "You're going outside the vault. It's the only place you'll be safe! Up top, and I've got a plan." She pointed her thumb to herself and placed one hand on her hip, then stamped her foot.

"Uhhh...isn't that...dangerous?" I asked. "I mean, it's different up there! We don't know anything about it, and who knows if it's even safe." I'll admit openly that I was afraid at that time, but I wasn't in much of a position to be scared. I had to be brave.

"Your dad apparently does. He knows what it's like up there now, and he must've thought that it was better than down here." Amata crossed her arms. "It doesn't matter, though. We're wasting time. The guards will be here any minute, and I have no idea what they plan to do!" She looked over her shoulder, then peeked out the doorway and looked in both directions. "Listen, there's a way out. No one knows about it, not even the vault security. The only people that know are my dad and me."

"So where is this fabled way out?" I asked as I began to gather my few belongings from my desk and place them in my bag. A baseball cap, Grognak the Barbarian Issue #1, my BB gun, a few stimpaks, a spare jumpsuit, and a few snacks were all that I took.

"In my dad's office," Amata said plainly.

I stood, dumbfounded, for a moment. "Ah! I see." I took the BB gun and pointed it at my mouth, and pretended to pull the trigger, complete with my own sound effects.

"Stop that! We have to go. Look, I'll meet you at the vault door. If I'm not there, just go, and don't wait. Oh, and take this gun." She took out and handed me a 10mm pistol. I was pretty comfortable around guns at that time because of my BB gun, but still not a very good shot. Of course, a BB gun wasn't exactly the most deadly of weapons. "I hope you don't need it, but I would rather be safe than sorry." she reached out and grabbed my hand. "Please, don't need it."

I nodded in neither agreement nor resistance.

Amata turned and ran around the corner. When she passed just out of sight, she immediately screeched and I heard another voice.

"Gotcha! Now where is he?!" the other voice roared at her.

I grabbed my bag, everything ready to go, picked up my baseball bat with its name, "The Ass Beater," scribbled on the side, and rounded the corner. "I'm right here," I said, lifting the bat and taking a swing at the guard's head, who happened to be Officer Kendall.

"Run!" I shouted to Amata as the guard released her and the bat connected to his helmet with a loud thunk. He stumbled and shook his head and straightened his helmet. It was enough to disorient him, and that was all I needed. I dropped The Ass Beater and leaped onto the security guard's back, wrapping my arms around his neck. He struggled and grunted, but Kendall couldn't get me off him.

He then ran as fast as he could backward, slamming me into the wall and nearly falling on me in the process. Kendall hacked and coughed, rubbing his neck as I tried to scramble to my feet. Being slammed into a wall hurt! I stood back up and braced myself as the guard drew his baton. I was unarmed, and he had a blunt instrument, but I was determined to win. I had to.

Suddenly, at least five rad roaches crawled down the wall, onto the floor, and began attacking the guard. He swung at them, mostly missing, as they swarmed around him.

"Fucking! More of these bastards!" he shouted as they climbed all over him, sinking their teeth into his skin. He cried out in pain and fell to the floor as I sprinted by him, the sound of giant, mutant roaches tearing at his flesh filling my ears. I picked up The Ass Beater and stopped and looked over my shoulder. The poor man was still screaming in agony, blood pouring from each bite where the roaches viscously tore chunks of his flesh. He flailed his arms uselessly at them, but they wouldn't stop.

"Christine's gonna be pissed," I muttered to myself.

I pulled myself away and kept running, checking around every corner as I came to it, so I wouldn't run into any more guards. I came around one corner and saw Butch Deloria pacing around the hall.

"Hey, Bitch!" I yelled. He nearly jumped out of his skin, and then turned to me. I carefully approached him, but something was wrong. He wasn't his usual cocky self, he almost seemed afraid of something. I had my hand on the pistol behind me but took it off when I saw how utterly terrified he looked.

"Hey! Hey! I-I need your help!" Butch whipped his head around and then looked back to me. "It's my mom! Th-the rad roaches! They're in there and she needs help!" Butch shook me around and pointed to his family's quarters.

"Butch, I have problems of my own right now, I have to go!" I pushed past him and continued down the hall. The bully ran around and stopped in front of me, holding his arms out to try and block me.

"Please, man! I'm begging you! You can't just leave her in there." Butch clasped his hands together, begging hysterically. "Look, I'm sorry for how I treated you when we were kids! But please, save my mom! I-I can't go in there, I hate roaches!"

He wasn't going to move, and I needed to keep going. I had long gotten over how Butch bullied me years before, and I couldn't just turn my back on his mother. He didn't need to know what it's like to not have one.

"Here." I pulled the pistol Amata had given me out and held it toward him. He stared at me, confused by what I was planning. "You take this gun, I don't need it. I'm a lousy shot anyway."

Butch took the pistol as if he had never held one before, which, for all I know, he may not have even seen one before. "Yeah. Okay." He held onto it with both hands.

"Now, you know what you're going to do? You're going to go in there and you're going to fuck. Them. Up." I patted him on the back and pointed him to the doorway.

"Yeah. YEAH!" Butch gripped the pistol, finger already on the trigger and bolted to the door shouting about the Tunnel Snakes.

I straightened my bag and took off down the hall, watching through the window as Butch fired bullet after bullet into the oversized bugs. He would be okay and so would his mother.

Ahead of me was the Diner. I came around the corner and peered into the room, making sure I wasn't in for an ambush. The lights were out, so I activated the light on my Pip-Boy and almost immediately regretted it.

"Holy-" was all I said as I saw at least ten roaches crawling all over the room. In the middle, lying dead on the floor, was Grandma Taylor. The roaches must've been feasting on her for at least an hour by that point. The room smelled terrible and looked even worse.

I didn't have any time to gawk at the carnage, as a noise was coming from up the stairs at the end of the hall. I readied The Ass Beater and ran up the steps. My dad's office was ahead, so I decided that I had to search it for any clue as to where he might've gone.

I watched from afar as flames and sparks jumped from the end of Andy's weaponized arm, burning the two or three rad roaches alive. Stanley was next to Andy, squashing them with a metal pipe, and an officer was swinging his baton wildly.

"Great," I grumbled as I sneaked up behind the security guard, holding my bat high into the air. I was about to take a swing when Andy tackled me (as best a rotund robot with no legs could.)

"Hold on there, young master!" Andy sang in his chipper, English-accented voice. "You needn't assault an officer of the law! Not twice in one week!" Andy released me and floated a little lopsidedly, towards the clinic. "Now, I'm sure you're looking for the good doctor, yes?"

"Yeah, is he around?" I asked, still having doubts about my father's departure.

"No. Sorry, sir! I believe he has gone up above for a bit of air." Andy floated around, picking up the burnt remains of the roaches that were unfortunate enough to be caught by him.

"He's right." the vault security guard said, still not making a move to me.

"Gomez?" I inquired, lowering The Ass Beater.

"Hey, kid," Gomez said as he put his baton back on his side. "It's a good thing I'm the one who found you, I've heard the others talking. They aren't planning on being nice." Gomez took his helmet off and held it under his arm. "So, I guess you're leaving as well?" His eyes were stuck to the ground.

"I don't really have a choice," I said, walking into the clinic. "He can't have gotten far, right?"

"If this were any other situation, I wouldn't even THINK of trying to get out." Gomez shook a little, no doubt thinking about the entire situation. "But now..."

The whole clinic was a mess. Chairs and tables were thrown about, and all kinds of files were scattered on the floor. It was quite a sight to see, considering how meticulous my dad was. He would've fainted had he seen the office in the state is was in.

"Yeah, they came through here a little bit ago," Stanley said as he started adjusting a few pieces on Andy, noticing me looking at the mess. "Tore the place the hell up. I guess they were looking for something. Anything that might give them an idea of what he's doing."

"Did he say anything? Where he was going?" I asked, pulling out one of the drawers on my dad's desk. There were a few papers and a key.

"No. Didn't he tell you? I thought you might've gone with him, honestly." Stanley gave Andy a pat and the 'bot jetted away, humming all the while. "At least, I did, until you showed up here just now. What the hell was he thinking? The whole place is going crazy."

I took the key out of the desk and held it up. I had no idea what my dad needed this key for, it wasn't like he usually locked anything up anyway. "I don't know what he was thinking. It's not like he knows anything about the surface, right?" I looked around the room, eyeing anything that had a lock, and then trying the key. No luck, though, everything was either unlocked already or beat up and forcefully opened. The last thing in the room was the framed verse hanging on the wall.

"It's worth a try," I said to myself with a sigh as I pulled the quote off the wall. Sure enough, there was a keyhole on the side of it. I placed the key inside and turned it until the lock clicked. The front of the frame fell open and dropped the quote, as well as a crumpled piece of paper, onto the floor.

"Hey, kid, you need to hurry it up in there!" Gomez called from the hall.

"Yeah, yeah." I put the note and the verse into my bag and threw it on my back. "Alright. I'm going."

"Be safe, sir!" Andy gleefully told me. "And, uh, don't stay out past your curfew!"

"Shut up, Andy." The vault repairman snapped at the robot.

"I don't know how it is up there right now, but I hope you find him. Take care, Paul." Gomez shook my hand, leaving a small plastic bag in my hand. It was filled with bottle caps.

I waved and started up the stairs to the atrium. I gave the small bag a shake, completely oblivious as to why Officer Gomez gave me his bottle cap collection, but I didn't have much time to worry. At the top of the stairs were two vault residents. I couldn't really tell who they were in the darkness, but I could hear their voices.

"Come on! Let's leave, too! Just like the doctor." the man said as a woman protested.

"The doc's a smart guy, so he must know something we don't. The surface can't be that bad if he thought that he should go up there." the man explained.

"I still think it's an awful idea. Who cares what James does, we're safe down here! Would you really give all of that up just to find out if it really is better up there?" the woman said with a clear overabundance of logic in contrast to the man.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" the man chuckled with a childlike innocence. "We'll just rush to the door and get out, it's fool-proof!"

I watched the figures moved away from the stairs, and I moved up behind them. The two ran across the main room of the atrium and towards the door that led to the vault entrance.

"Hey! We're coming through! Let us...wait! NO! DON'T!-" the man was cut off by a hail of gunfire. Bullets ripped through his body, as well as the woman's, and they both crumpled to the floor. Blood was already running on the floor as one of them gasped a few last breaths.

In the chaos, I slipped by, over to the far side of the room where the stairs leading upwards were. The normal way out was guarded, so I had no choice but to leave the Overseer's office if Amata's secret exit even existed. I ran as silently as I could up the two flights of stairs to the upper level of the vault, peering over the edge just in time to see a security officer hauling one of the bodies away.

"Savages..." I muttered as I kept moving.

I passed by a window and looked into the room. It looked empty, but suddenly a man jumped up and started pounding his fist on the window. It was Allen Mack, the local vault rat. He was always wearing this stupid looking hat that really didn't suit him but to each his own.

"You!" he shouted as his face burned with anger. "This is all your fault!" he roared at me from behind the bullet proof glass. He continued to punch at the window, calling for the guards as I flipped him the birdie and continued onwards.

I went to the computer room, a few rad roaches skittered across the floor, and came around to the hall. At the end was the Overseer's office: freedom, safety, and hopefully the sons of bitches that killed Jonas.

The hallway was eerily empty, there was nothing but blaring sirens and flashing red and orange lights. I held The Ass Beater close to me, ready to swing at anyone who might jump out at me. No one did, though. I stood in front of the door to the Overseer's quarters and gasped as the door slid open.

There, tied to a chair, bloody, bruised and his head misshapen, was Jonas.

"Shit..." I said as tears filled my eyes. I guess I really hadn't processed that he was gone until I saw him sitting there, dead. He was holding something, though. It looked like a holotape, and my name was scribbled on a piece of tape on the front of it. I shakily reached out and took it from Jonas' corpse. I had no idea why my name was on it, but I assumed it was from my dad, so I didn't want to take any chances.

I popped the holotape player on the top of my Pip-Boy open and slid the tape inside. A small prompt appeared on the screen, and I selected to play.

The speaker crackled as the recorded sound of shifting papers and closing drawers also leaked out. It went on for a few moments until my father began speaking.

"Hold on Jonas, I need to record this first." dad said as Jonas rushed him in the background. "I don't really know how to tell you this. I hope you'll understand, although I suspect it won't make sense anyway." He paused for about ten seconds, took a deep breath and began again. "I'm sure you know by now that I'm gone, that I've gone to the surface. I didn't tell you because I don't want this to blow back on you, and I know you're probably angry, but the Overseer's going to be a whole lot angrier at me." My dad chuckled a little, probably thinking about the look of an angry Alphonse.

"Don't mean to rush you, Doc, but I'd feel better if we got this over with," Jonas said, interrupting my father.

"I'm almost done, just a bit longer." He called out to Jonas. "Look, I know this isn't how you thought life would be, but I need for you to stay down there without me. It's far from perfect, but it's much better than up there. You may never understand, and I wouldn't expect you to, all I expect is for you to be safe."

Dad sighed and tapped his hand on whatever surface he was near. "Okay. Go ahead. Goodbye, and I'm sorry. I love you."

The holotape ended with a click. I opened the slot again and remove the tape, placing it in my bag. He didn't want me to follow him? Where else was I going to stay? The vault wanted my head, and there wasn't exactly an abundance of space to hide in there. I respected my father, but I had no choice. I also couldn't let Jonas' sacrifice be in vain.

"No. I'm sorry, dad," I said as I looked at Jonas sitting there, completely motionless.

As Alphonse's desk lifted into the air, I peered down into the tunnel. It seemed to be well lit, if not a bit dusty. It hadn't been used for many years. I went down into the tunnel and ran to the end of it. There was a switch on the wall, so I gave it a flip. A portion of the wall moved, and sank into the ground, revealing a room containing the massive, gear shaped vault door up ahead.

I had never seen the vault door, or the room it was in either. It was a darker gray than the usual metal in the vault. I walked around the room, looking for a way to open it until my search stopped on a panel sticking up from the ground. It had green and red blinking lights, and a lever to pull. It took quite a bit of effort, but the lever moved with a creak and a grind.

A blast of steam came from above, a massive metal rod moving to the gear-like door. It connected, then screwed tightly.

"Incredible..." Amata said as she walked into the room, the vault door screeching as it was pulled out. "Oh wow, you smell that?" she said covering her nose. The scent of the outside world had begun to seep into the Vault 101 as the door rolled to the side.

We stood there and looked into the rocky cave ahead, where it looked like an old, wooden door was at the end. It was like looking into a different world, but it was the same one we had been on the whole time. Try to imagine staying inside your house, curtains drawn, never even knowing that there was anything behind them, and then finding out one day that there was a place you had never even known about. That was how it felt. You really have an existential crisis when you see that your whole world was just a tiny, insignificant piece of something much, MUCH, larger.

"So your dad's super-secret tunnel was cool," I said, trying to lighten up the mood. "Only you and him know about it, huh? I'll try not to make any jokes about it." I gave her a nudge with my arm.

Amata didn't even smile a little bit.

"So...you really are leaving?" she asked, her head held low, rubbing her right arm.

I reached over and wrapped my arms around her, giving my best friend a farewell hug. "I don't have any choice," I said plainly as she hugged me back. "Just don't forget about me, okay? Maybe I can come back after I find my dad."

"I'm going to miss you, Paul, I wish things were different. When you come back, we can..."

A click of a revolver came from behind me, and my heart skipped a beat.

"Step away from her. NOW!" Alphonse shouted at me, the barrel of the revolver pressed against the back of my head. Amata was caught as off guard as I was, and let me go. I stepped back from her, my hands held into the air as I dropped The Ass Beater on the ground.

"Sonnuva..." I muttered as I came face to face with the man who ordered the death of one of my friends, or rather, face to the barrel-of-his-gun. "You bastard," I growled at him, my anger building as he motioned for Amata to move behind him. "You killed Jonas, you bastard."

"I beg your pardon?" Alphonse said as he pulled the hammer of the pistol back. "That was Officer Mack here." He nodded to behind him where the security guard stood, who was holding a baton in his left hand. "I don't enjoy this, Paul, I really don't, but you need to realize what you've done!" Alphonse hissed at me. "You and your father have thrown this vault into chaos!" He motioned for Mack to move towards me. "Now there are rad roaches everywhere, people dead, and fear rampant in here! You have worked your hardest to throw everything in this vault out of balance. Now you'll come with Officer Mack and me, and you're going to pay the price."

Mack stood behind me, ready to swing his baton at my head. He didn't anticipate me fighting back. As his arm moved downwards, I grabbed on, quick as lightning, and swung him around. Alphonse fired a bullet, straight into the Officer's back, and he instantly fell to the ground, crippled but alive, and bleeding profusely. He groaned in pain, writhing in his own blood.

I wasted no time in grabbing for the Overseer's pistol. I pushed it away just as he fired again, sending the bullet away harmlessly. My ears were ringing from the shot, but I had to take the gun. I tried to wrestle it from his grasp, throwing an elbow in his face to knock him off balance.

"GAH!" he shouted as my elbow crashed into his nose. His grip on the revolver loosened enough for me to snatch it away. The old man stumbled backward into the wall, banging his head against the metal beam running up to the ceiling. Amata had dashed from the room at that point, exiting to the left, and closed the door behind her.

"You murderer," I said, my voice dripping with hatred. "You killed Jonas, you insufferable..." I was cut off my Alphonse as he tackled me to the ground, his hands around my throat. The pistol flew from my hands and slid across the ground until it was against the wall.

"Everything I do, I do for the good of the vault!" he shouted at the top of his lungs, saliva flying from his gaping maw. "You and your father are a danger to everyone! You shouldn't even be here!"

I could feel myself running out of oxygen as his grasp on my neck tightened. I was going to run out of time, and I needed to make a move. I grabbed him, and pulled him down, wrapped my right leg around his left foot, then pushed off the ground with my left foot, thrusting my whole body upwards and rolling Alphonse over.

The tables had been turned, but his hands were still on my throat.

"Payback time, bitch." I thought to myself as I raised one fist into the air and brought it crashing into his face with everything I had. I raised the other fist and threw it down in the same manner. I struck him over and over, his face becoming bruised, swollen and bloodied with each punch. He finally let go as he passed out for just a moment. I gasped for air as oxygen filled my lungs once again, and I tumbled over.

Alphonse was trying to form words through his bloodied mouth as he lied there on the ground. I struggled to my knees, then pushed off the ground to my feet. He didn't have age on his side, and it was taking him longer to get up after the beating I had given him.

"You...killed my...friend..." I growled at him breathlessly as I looked around the room, eyeing a toolbox. I undid the latch and opened the red box, where a wrench, a hammer, a screwdriver and a box of nails was waiting inside. I grabbed the hammer, took it out and gave it a few swings, then gripped it tightly. "You tried to kill me..."

Alphonse coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the floor as he rolled over. His eyes had already swollen up to the point of not even being able to see out of his left one. "H-how could..." he muttered, trying to stand up.

"Now you're going to pay!" I yelled as I swung at his head with the hammer. I struck him with enough force to send him back down to the ground. I sat down on top of him, preventing his arms from being any trouble. "YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!" I roared as I swung again, the hammer crashing into his forehead, and hearing a definite crack. Blood had begun pouring from his head as it had changed shape, showing dents where the hammer had hit. His eyes were rolling back into his head.

He didn't even make any noises. The only noise was the sound of the hammer hitting him over and over again, the sound of it changing from dry, "thunks" and crackling, to a sloppy wet sound as the metal floor of the vault ran red.

I breathed heavily as my arm finally had tired. I was still sitting on top of Alphonse, though he was unrecognizable by then. It was sickening, seeing a man's head caved in and knowing that you were the one who had caused it, but I felt I was justified. That feeling was fleeting, though.

The door on the left, where Amata had made her exit, opened with a squeak and a hiss. She stepped through, and her eyes went wide and her face turned pale.

I never felt more like a villain than I did in that moment as I watched my best friend look at her mutilated father lying on the ground, beaten to a bloodied pulp by someone she thought she could trust. Someone who she had thought was her best friend.

"Daddy?" she said as she covered her mouth, taking a few careful steps closer. "DADDY!" she screamed as she fell on her knees, instantly sobbing uncontrollably and repeatedly calling for her father who could no longer hear her. She stayed that way for a few minutes, seemingly forgetting that I was standing there.

I couldn't stand seeing her that way, so I thought that maybe I would help console her. Honestly, I look back now and think that must have been so the worst thing I could have ever done at that moment.

"Amata..." I began to say as I reached my hand out towards her.

She slapped my hand away, and turned around, absolute fury in her eyes. She stood up and got only inches away from my face, tears streaming down her face like a waterfall. Amata's face was a mix of sadness and anger, but entirely one of pain.

"How could you?!" she screamed, swinging one hand at me. "Why?! He was my father!" she cried out as she broke down again.

"He ordered Mack to kill Jonas!" I exclaimed, trying to rationalize my actions to someone who was blind with pain, or maybe I was trying to convince myself. Mack didn't say a word to defend himself, not that he could anyway. He was already dead, too. "He was a maniac, and he needed to pay for what he did!"

That didn't win me anything. Amata was completely overtaken with rage once I had said that. "REALLY?! Who appointed you as judge, jury, and executioner?!" she shouted, pushing me backward and down the small set of stairs near the vault door. "I know he did terrible things, but he is...was my father! How do you not understand that?!" She stood above me with her fists clenched.

"He tried to kill me, too! I did what I had to do!" I screamed at her as I finally felt the weight of my guilt falling on me. "I had no choice!"

"You DID have a choice, though! You could have stopped, but you beat his head in with a damn hammer!" she pointed at the bloody hammer I had tossed on the floor once the deed had been done. "You didn't need to kill him! He wasn't as strong as you, so why did you need to kill him?!"

"I-I needed..."

"YOU DON'T HAVE A REASON!" she screamed as loud as she could, cutting me off, while the walls bounced the sound back again. "This was just for revenge!" she yelled as she turned around and stared at the mess I had made. "You know something?" she asked rhetorically.

"My dad always said you didn't belong here, that you should be on the outside. He said that you were like the people on the surface. Selfish, violent and only out for what they want." she looked me dead in the eyes as her gaze continued onwards, into my soul. "I defended you. I told him he was wrong, and he just didn't know you like I did."

"Please, Amata..." I tried to say as she went on to finish her thought.

"He was right," she said. Her words went right through me like an arrow. "You belong out there."

I had nothing to say to that. She was absolutely right. I was an animal (still am), so I just turned walked towards the door and collected The Ass Beater on the way out. I stopped just short of where metal became rock and turned around. She was still standing there. She hadn't even bothered to look at me leaving.

"I'm sorry, Amata." were the last words I spoke on my way out of Vault 101, where they said I was born, but now I knew I was not going to die. I placed my feet on the uneven rockiness of the cave, counted the seconds until the giant, metal, gear-shaped door closed again, and faced it as I waited for it to slide shut. "I'm so sorry," I muttered to the metal door.

How could I have done something so horrible? What was wrong with me?

It wasn't long until all I could see was a large "101" in front of me, and not my childhood home, or my childhood friend who had pulled the lever.

I stood there in the dark with only the light peeking through the old wooden door ahead of me. It was enough light to see the skeletons that littered the cave floor. They all had signs begging to be let in, probably from before the Great War. They died waiting to get into a place I had just left.

"There's nowhere else to go now," I said as I pulled on one of the straps of my bag, and walked to the door. It seemed to grow impossibly brighter and hotter as I walked closer to the exit of the cave. I rolled my sleeves up, unzipped my jumpsuit down from my neck and pushed the door open. I should say I pushed it off because it came unhinged and dropped onto the ground, my eyes burning from the drastic change in lighting.

"Damn..." I said as my eyes slowly adjusting to the above ground lights. I looked over the wrecked landscape, fully understanding why my father always said that it was a hell on the surface. Just down the road from Vault 101 was a bombed-out town, complete with rusty cars that had been looted clean. The road itself was a cracked mess, and the grass, if you can call it that, was a sickly, ash-gray color where it actually was growing. The trees were pretty much the same as the grass.

I walked to the edge of a cliff just outside of the cave and chuckled to myself at the irony of a sign labeled "scenic overlook" in the post-apocalyptic era.

"At least someone has a sense of humor..." I said melancholically. There wasn't a chair anywhere like in the vault, so I just sat down on the cliff and let my legs dangle over the edge.

It occurred to me then that I had gone to having a place to stay, and being in a position to crack jokes, to sitting alone on a cliff in a world completely unfamiliar. I had killed no less than three people on my way out and ruined a lifelong friendship for the sake of some God-forsaken vendetta. I had been sprung from my whole life, and was still in the dark about my father's departure, just like everyone else.

I guess I was fortunate enough to have a father. The same couldn't have been said for Amata. I felt so sorry for her. She was always gentle, even when we were kids. She didn't deserve what happened.

I never got the chance to make it up to her, either. I came close.


	3. If Hope Could Exist Next to a Nuke

Chapter Three

If Hope Could Exist Next to a Nuke

~ August 17, 2277 ~

I can confidently say that the first thing I learned about the Wasteland is that it is considerably hotter than any functioning vault. The sun was nearly unbearable as I sat outside on that cliff for the first time. The smell was even worse because it was that of the world that had simmered in its own wreckage for two hundred years too long. It wasn't going to let up either as very few understood what a bath was. Perhaps, though, they could not find any clean water to bathe in either. The breeze didn't help the smell when it did actually blow that is.

I stood up, my eyes finally feeling at least adequately comfortable in the blinding new light source, and began looking to the horizon. I could easily see a skyline far into the distance, and a few notable architectural signatures, the most notable being a monument that is far too easy to make a joke with. It didn't take a history major (not that those really exist anymore) to figure out that I was standing in the District of Columbia, the capital of the United States of America, or what was left of it. Ironic how the land was once one of the most powerful nations to exist.

I continued to scout the area, taking note of interesting structures and entertaining the idea that my father was simply exploring a place I believed he had never been and not hell-bent on completing whatever mission had led him to the surface. I rubbed my neck, wincing at the soreness of it. The Overseer had done quite a number on me, despite being up against someone who clearly had age on their side.

I did a little more thinking and remembered that my father had been quite fond of history alongside his medical career. He was quite knowledgeable in many areas, and he no doubt was interested in monuments. "Of course!" I exclaimed as I believed I had solved the riddle as to why my father had left Vault 101, then coughed as my throat caught a bit of the choking air in it. "He was looking for the monuments! It makes sense!" I said to the dust and air. I honestly thought that my father was just a tourist then. I was very naive. "Hmmm...but which one?" I continued thinking.

One last structure stood nearby that had the potential to hold answers. It was a strange looking piece of metal just standing in the middle of the dirt. I couldn't tell from the hill, but it almost looked like a sort of door was on the front of it, and I was positive that there were a few people in front of it. "Well. It can't hurt to look..."

I hoisted my bag up high on my back, set The Ass Beater over my shoulder and began to trek down the hill, taking care not to fall. There was a road just at the bottom of the hill and a few rusty cars sitting along the edge of it. They were obviously pre-war and hadn't run since. I didn't see why someone hadn't tried to restore them to functioning order, but I certainly could imagine the usefulness. The few motorcycles that were tipped over the guard rails were obviously beautiful machines in their heyday, and I wouldn't have minded having one at the time. I could imagine the roar of the engine as I peeled out and sped down the road, the wind rushing through my hair, never stopping for a thing, not even the setting sun...

Ahem.

I pulled myself away from the beautiful beasts and continued walking along the road, stepping over the deep gashes in it whenever I came upon them. Ahead of me was the bombed out town that I had noticed just as I exited the cave? I approached the dented, metal sign that stood just on the edge of it.

"Springvale," I muttered as I dusted some of the grime off it. The town was in such a close proximity to Vault 101, so I assumed that everyone there had made it inside when the bombs came, but I could've easily been proven wrong by the multiple skeletons that had been left begging to enter into the vault as well as the ones still lying in their beds inside the husks of their once-proud homes. All in all, the entire town was a mess. If the bombs hadn't destroyed the buildings, the two hundred years of abandonment had. Whatever hadn't fallen was just a few rotten wood pieces and a couple of support beams sitting on top of the foundation.

I checked inside the mailboxes, and a few of them still had their mail. A few bills for the Carpenter family, a wedding invitation and a letter from their nephew and his bride-to-be in Alabama for the Patel's, which took place on November 2, 2077, and a draft notice for Mr. Murphy of the Murphy family were all that I found. It wasn't going to do them much good, or me for that matter, so I just tossed them aside. Now, before you accuse me of polluting the environment, let me say this: a few pieces of paper on the ground weren't going to hurt the environment any more than total nuclear annihilation had.

As I continued down the street, there was a turn heading left towards a school on the other side of the neighborhood, and a junk sign straightaway with a name painted on it: Megaton.

"Like...explosives?" I inquired of myself. It didn't seem like a good idea, so I turned and headed down the left-hand road. "If it IS like explosives, then I don't want any part of it." I thought as I continued to look around the area. "At least, I don't want a part of any big explosives. Small ones are loads of fun." There really wasn't anything else around, save for a house that was mostly intact. It actually looked livable, from where I was standing.

I walked over to it and saw that there were a few strange looking plants in the front yard, and even a small generator in the back. It may have been broken, or maybe it was just turned off or out of gas. I reached out to the doorknob, which was dented and a little rusty, and turned it. The door needed a little bit of force to open, but it did just that, and with a cloud of dust being blown in my face. I coughed and waved my hands in front of me trying to get the cloud away from me.

I glanced around the small room. There was a hell of a lot of junk lying around, and what appeared to be quite the sizable stash of drugs. I could easily tell what a few of them were because they were the same kind of prescription drugs my dad gave to patients, and occasionally I did the same, while he supervised of course, but many of them were completely foreign to me.

I have mentioned that, haven't I? When I finally did take the G.O.A.T., I ended up getting "vault doctor." My dad was thrilled, but Jonas was worried that he was going to be out of a job even after he was assured that he wouldn't be. My father said that he would actually be given a promotion: Head-Assistant Grandmaster, the sorter of papers and main errand runner.

I'm pretty sure that it was a joke, but Jonas was not amused.

There wasn't exactly a training manual for being a vault doctor, not anymore anyway. The guy before my dad had destroyed a lot of the medical records and materials before he went out, and my father wasn't sure how to train a doctor so he just taught me the way he learned: by watching another. It worked well enough I suppose. I could diagnose some illnesses, and treat a few pretty grizzly wounds, but I never tried my hand at surgery, not after that incident with Freddie Gomez and the wrench. I'll spare you the details and just say that Freddie was no longer able to give anyone a thumbs up using his left hand.

Anyways, as I looked around the house, I felt a sense of security fall over me. Someone had been living in the house. The couch had been sat in quite recently, and there was a cigarette still smoking in the ashtray on the table next to it. It was small, but cozy enough, so I thought that it would be safe. I immediately lost that sense when I was knocked unconscious by an attack from behind. I felt myself fall face-down on the ground as I so eloquently uttered, "fuck" to myself. I wriggled a bit once I hit the floor, just trying to hang on to consciousness, as someone grabbed my feet and dragged me across the floor. The next hit on my head came from a bump on the ground, and that was the one that put me out like a light.

My head throbbed as I began to regain my senses, completely unsure of how long I had been out. I don't know if you have ever been struck in the back of the head by a blunt instrument, but it's something you never get used to, but you may get used to striking others.

"Thought you could get to me that easily?!" a woman yelled. "So who are you?" the voice asked venomously as I slowly awakened. "I won't ask again!" she sternly declared as I gathered my thoughts. I didn't feel the heat of boiling water or a nearby fire, so that was already a good sign that I wasn't going to be devoured by bloodthirsty cannibals.

"Whuzzat...Where?" I groggily asked, my eyes still trying to focus.

There was a woman, a rather strung-out looking one, with almost silver hair, sitting on a chair in front of me. She looked bewildered as I shook my head, which was still aching quite a bit from the wonderful welcome I had received before. I placed my hand on the back of my head, and there was just a little bit of blood, nothing major, though.

The woman simply sat there, almost as if in disbelief that I hadn't attacked or said anything intelligible yet. She was on edge for some reason, but I guess you would be too if almost all wildlife had mutated in a manner that would allow it to maul you in a considerably easier manner and everyone had lost their sense of reason.

"Well?" she said as she readied the small pistol I had failed to notice before. She raised it in the air and pointed it at me, her hand already on the trigger.

"Easy there..." I said, holding my hands into the air. "I don't mean any harm. I was just looking around, thought I'd see what was inside." My voice was still hoarse from being choked earlier, but I would manage. "By the way, the first hit didn't take me down, it was the bump you dragged me across."

She looked me over, then sighed. The silver-haired woman set her pistol back in the holster lying on the counter behind her.

"What?" I said as I lowered my guard a bit.

"Damn. Not another one of ya." she groaned as she leaned back in the chair and lowered her gun. "You. You're from that vault ain't ya?" she rubbed her forehead.

"Yeah. I just...well...I just left. This morning, anyway. It's been..." I stopped, thinking about everything that had happened only a few hours before. My dad was gone, so many people were dead, maybe more than I knew on the way out, and I had lost the best friend I had, maybe even the only one, because I murdered her father all over some stupid vendetta. "It's been a rough morning."

I wasn't sure why, but her expression softened after I said that. She must've felt some kind of sympathy for me, or maybe it was something else that I didn't know about.

"Don't know why I didn't notice it before...Just a few hours in...Already..." she said as she got up from her chair and walked into the other room. "Gonna look like a target..." I got up and followed her as the thought that she might have seen my dad pass through crossed my mind.

"Hold on a second." I began as she glanced over her shoulder. "I'm looking for someone. My dad. He left before I did and I was wondering if you had seen him pass through."

She stood up and held a white shirt, or once-white as there were quite a large amount of dirt stains, in between us and closed one eye while looking at me with the other. "Maybe. What did he look like?" she inquired as she knelt back down to pull something else out of the box and set the shirt off to the side.

"He's got this wavy hair, gray, and a rough looking beard. He's in his fifties, probably wearing a jumpsuit like mine." I explained. "Probably the only thing around that didn't smell like shit?"

"When did he leave? How many years ago?" she asked.

"Um...this morning?" I said, unsure if it were actually that morning or the night before. I figured that the "years" part of the question was just a slip since I thought that no one had ever left the vault, so I disregarded that.

"Nah. Sorry, kid. You're the first person from that vault I've seen in a while. Years, even." she said with slight annoyance. She picked a pair of brown cargo pants up out of the box and set them on top of the shirt. "He might've gone into town, though." she stood up and grabbed a pair of dirty old boots from the corner next to the couch. "Megaton. It's just up the road a little ways, can't miss it. If I didn't see him, then maybe one of them did."

"Well, I guess that's where I'm headed. Thanks for not offing me when you had the chance." I grabbed my bag that was sitting next to the door and tried to leave.

"Hold on a second! You can't go rompin' through the Wasteland dressed like that." she pointed to my blue jumpsuit. "You're gonna look like a target. Folks'll know that you're fresh out of a vault, and they're going to take advantage of ya," she stated very matter-of-factly. "Put these on." She handed me the shirt, cargo pants, and boots. "And try not to be an ass. That'll make you a target, too. Okay?"

Once I had changed into the new threads, I walked back around the corner where the woman was still waiting.

"Yeah, that's better. You'll pass for average Wasteland trash like that." she smiled and stepped to the door. "Look, I don't know you, but good luck. It's a tough world out there, and you seem nice enough, if not a little stupid."

I thanked her for the clothes, opened the door, picked up The Ass-Beater which was leaning against the wall, and almost forgot my manners, not that I really valued them that much anyway. "By the way, what's your name?" I asked leaning backward a little trying to be somewhat cordial. You never know when it might help you.

"Just call me Silver, okay? Now go on, you probably shouldn't stick around here. It's not safe." she said as she pushed me out into the front and closed the door behind me. She seemed almost panicked as she shoved me outwards, almost like she was afraid of something, or someone.

"So Megaton it is," I said as I began to walk into the cracked street. I can't tell you why Silver had decided to help me on that day, but I spent quite a bit of time thinking about how I could repay her. I wouldn't get the chance to do it in person since someone had killed her by the time I returned to make it up to her, but I always make sure to pay my debts, one way or another.

Megaton wasn't very far, just as Silver had said. It was a unique settlement. The entire place was made of old airplane pieces and other assorted metal, none of which looked very sturdy if you ask me, and built around a deep hole. There were a few men standing in the front with a sickly, two-headed cow loaded up with a vast amount of medical supplies on its back. One fellow was clad in a sturdy, green, armor plated uniform with an automatic rifle slung over his shoulder, and the other was rummaging through one of his bags.

"Ah, hello there!" the other man, who was dressed in a dingy blue suit and wearing a large pair of glasses that didn't seem to have any lens, said as he ceased digging in his bag to greet me. "You seem to be a fellow who is in need of a few stimpaks! The wasteland is a dangerous place after all!" he said putting his arm around me as I approached, looking at my neck that was still red from my exit from the vault and leaning back to note the bit of blood on my head which I had, in all honesty, forgotten about by that point. "Or maybe a few...less reputable substances?" he nudged me with his fist.

"You mean drugs?" I asked with an eyebrow raised. "Shit, only a day in and I'm already being offered drugs."

"Now, now! That's a very archaic word! I prefer to say 'chems', and so does everyone else." He patted his hands on his pants which inadvertently released a cloud of dust with each touch. The man extended his hand outwards to me. "Doctor Hoff, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Paul, likewise." I reached out and shook his grime covered meat hook, planting The Ass-Beater on the ground. "So, is there anything of interest around here?"

The armor clad man coughed and nodded towards the gate.

"I mean other than that," I noted.

"Well, there's the plenty of craters and radioactive potholes you can go rolling around in, but I'll assume that you mean somewhere more refined, correct?" Hoff spoke sarcastically.

I didn't really feel like humoring the man, but I needed some information, so I let him play his games. I rubbed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Yeah. Anywhere someone new around these parts might go?"

The doctor began stroking his chin. "There's Tenpenny Tower a good ways that-away..." Hoff threw his hands behind him, not even turning around. "... and of course the old D.C. Ruins, but that's where it's most dangerous."

"Why would they want to go to the ruins if it's so dangerous?" I asked.

"Plenty of loot," Hoff said plainly. "If you can survive the mutants, then you stand to make a hell of a lot of bottle caps to buy whatever you want, or even find something better."

There was my answer as to why Gomez had given me a bag of bottle caps. The people of the wasteland must've resorted to using Nuka-Cola bottle caps as currency after the Great War. I didn't think that my dad would've been after money out here, but I couldn't rule out the possibility. I thought that he may have been after the monuments, and they were also in the ruins, so it wasn't a far cry from my original idea. "Thanks, I've got to go now." I waved my hand, turned towards the gate and threw my baseball bat over my shoulder once again.

"Hold on there!" Hoff pulled on my shoulder. "As a medical professional..."

The armor clad man laughed loudly and earned himself a glare from Hoff.

"...I simply cannot allow you to traverse anymore of the wastes with a head injury. The can be quite serious." Hoff explained to me even though I was fully aware of the danger of head injuries, mine not being serious. "I need to examine you, at the very least!"

I wasn't fond of the idea of some random fellow claiming to be a doctor examining my head, so I passed on the examination. "No, I'll be fine."

Hoff sighed disappointedly and waved me off. "As you wish...Please come again, and, perhaps, buy something?"

I gave him a thumbs up and a patronizing nod. I wasn't going to buy any of his garbage. I had no idea if he knew anything about treating injuries, and who knew what was in some of those drugs.

"Welcome to Megaton." the stiff looking robot, a Protectron, said as I approached. "The bomb is perfectly safe!" it assured in a monotone voice.

I immediately froze in place and turned my head to the stumpy metal man. He had just said that there was a bomb in the town, and not only that, he had said it was safe. "What the hell kind of topsy-turvy world am I in?" I thought to myself as I mustered the courage to go into the town. I may need to rethink that stance on Doc Hoff's drugs.

The turbine above the gate activated and began shooting flames and roaring as it hoisted the massive wall upwards. There was nothing but junk between the wall and the actual gateway that led into town, but none of it was very useful looking. I put my hand on the latch of the gate and pushed it upwards. I opened the gate slowly, worried that it was going to fall off like the door to the vault cave.

I could look over the entire town from the front gate. The buildings, which consisted of more junk metal and continued the theme of the outer gates, were placed along the massive crater right in the middle where a crowd was gathered around. There were balconies and walkways circling up and down the hole and pipes running throughout the town like the blood vessels of a giant creature.

The center of the crater was home to the infamous bomb that I had already heard so much about, and there was a crowd of people around it. One man, who was closer than the rest, was shouting and waving his hands around, even jumping a few times. I couldn't make out what he was saying, though. Opposite of my position, atop the hill, was a large building, a bar of some sort. It has always struck me as strange that a bar was the largest building in town.

"Howdy, stranger." a deep, tired voice spoke from behind me. "Haven't seen you around before."

I turned around to the owner of the voice who was leaning against the wall. He was a burly man, with a thick, dark beard and brown eyes. He was dressed in a strange cowboy getup but wasn't to be trifled with regardless.

"You're right, I haven't been here before," I said as the man pushed himself from the wall with one hand and approached me.

"What's your business in Megaton, wastelander?" the man asked as he tipped his hat upwards and looked down at me. "Not looking for any trouble, I hope?"

I could take a hint. "Not at all, I'm just looking for someone. An older man, he was probably wearing a blue jumpsuit with the number '101' on the back." I explained. "Seen him?"

"No, don't think I've seen a man like that, not recently anyways." he ran his hand along the edge of his beard. "There's too much going on around here for me to keep tabs on every visitor that blows through the gates. This whole place is fixing to go up in flames every day." the man extended his glove covered hand outwards to me. "Lucas Simms, the town sheriff."

I shook his hand with the one that wasn't holding The Ass-Beater, with the dirt of his hands leaving marks on mine. "Paul."

"Now, you're welcome to look around, but stay out of trouble, or you'll answer to me." he jabbed his thumb into his chest, narrowed his eyes, and dropped his voice into a low growl.

I looked him up and down a few times, unsure if whether or not he had been trying to intimidate me in his cowboy getup, but it wasn't going to get to me. I hate it when people try to puff themselves up and scare others, as I'm sure he had done with everyone who passed through the gates.

"Is that a threat?" I chuckled. "Look, I'm not a bandito if that's what you're thinking, partner," I emphasized partner with the most stereotypical western accent I had heard in the old holotape movies I had in the Vault and snorted a bit at my own humor. "I end fights, not start them."

That, of course, was only partially true.

Simms was less than amused. He stepped even closer to me, now only inches away from me, and looked me dead in the eyes.

"Listen here, kid, I don't know where you're from." Simms began with his most stern voice. "Rivet City, Big Town, I don't give a fuck. You WILL not get in trouble in my town, with my people, or I'll put ten bullet holes through that skull of yours before you can even say oops. Got it?" he pushed on my chest and spit on the ground.

Now, I may have been a rebellious little shit but even I knew when I'm in a bad position. I looked back at him and nodded very insincerely. "Sure, got it. Message received. But isn't ten bullets too much?"

Simms turned on his heel and began walking down the hill into the crater.

"Y'all come back now," I said again in the western accent.

I didn't think about it much at the time, but I could've been much more cordial to Simms.

I was getting a bit hungry by that time, and the only good place to eat and not get piss-drunk, according to most folk, was the Brass Lantern. It was just at the bottom of the crater, uncomfortably close the bomb, and unfortunately within earshot of the madman next to it. It sounded as if he was wrapping up whatever he had been saying, though. I approached the small counter that was placed underneath a small shelter that displayed the eateries' name. There were two men sitting on opposite sides of the bar, one heartily devouring his meal, and the other poking at it, likely lost in thought.

I sat down next to the livelier man and set my arms on the counter.

"Hello!" the light-haired woman who had emerged from the building just as I sat down said cheerily. She swished her hip to one side and looked up at me. "What can I getcha?" she asked with a notepad in hand, readying herself to write.

"What's on the menu?" I asked, completely unaware of what was awaiting me.

She slid a menu to me, which was a tattered piece of paper with the names of the food items scrawled on it.

" _Mirelurk cakes? Molerat chunks? What the hell is this shit?!_ " I thought to myself as I read over the menu. None of them sounded appetizing, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to find out what any of them actually looked like either.

"Psst..." the man beside me nudged my ribs with his elbow. "Get the Iguana-on-a-stick. Trust me, it's better than it sounds."

I sighed. I couldn't be a picky eater out here, not when there wasn't an abundance of food like in the vault. "I'll have the Iguana-on-a-stick." I handed the menu back over to the woman, whose name tag read "Jenny."

"HEY!" she shouted suddenly. A man who resembled her poked his head from around the corner and nodded. "I need one lizard poke over here and a..." she stopped for a moment. "What're you drinking?" she asked me.

"Nuka-Cola," I said confidently with my previous knowledge of the fizzy soda.

The woman went back into the building and shoved the slow moving man back inside.

"Good choice." the man sitting next to me said.

"I'm hoping you didn't just convince me to eat shit," I said, turning to him.

The man had a pretty dark skin color, almost dark as the night, and had his long, thick hair bundled up on his head. His dark eyes were kind, and he had a smile to match the rest of his overall happy demeanor. His attitude seemed a bit out of place in a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but it was welcome. His outfit consisted of a dark red sweater underneath a black jacket and a dark pair of jeans and beaten up shoes. He was covered in dust, but then again, almost everyone in the wasteland is.

"No, that would be the Mirelurk cakes." he then laughed loudly and patted his hands on the table completely amused at a joke I didn't get. "No, I wouldn't do that to a newcomer."

"Man, you don't even know the half of it." I turned around in my chair, watching as the man who was shouting at the bomb departed from it, and headed inside a building above. It was about time he had shut up. I still didn't know what the hell he was so worked up about, though.

I turned back to the guy beside me and decided that I should introduce myself. I held out my hand. "Paul. I guess you could say I'm new around here."

"Heh." The fellow chuckled. "Seems like you've got a story, and I'm always up for stories." the man next to me said as he reached his hand and shook mine. "Name's Josef. Pleased to meet you, friend."

We were going to be friends indeed.


	4. Partners in Crime?

Chapter Four

 _Partners in Crime?_

~ August 17, 2277 ~

I sat next to Josef as I waited for my meal to arrive and told him about my life up to that point. I was under the impression that he may have been expecting a different story than a vault dweller who crawled out of his hole in the ground, but he seemed fascinated anyway.

"Damn. This morning?" he breathed out heavily and widened his eyes a bit while he leaned back onto the bar. "Must've been hard to do it," Josef said losing his upbeat attitude that he had for the short time we sat there. He looked expectedly when I didn't respond. "Y'know, your first kill? It's never...something that you do willingly," he said to me to help me understood what he meant.

"Yeah," I said dumbly. I wasn't going to lie, the Overseer had been on my mind the entire day, and it was only about three o'clock. I had been in countless fights with other kids in the vault growing up, some even turned nasty, but I had never even come close to killing someone. I never imagined that I would do so in such a brutal manner, either. What kind of insane bastard bashes a man's brains out with a tool? Was I really any better than he was? Sure, he gave the order that killed Jonas, tried to kill me, and probably would do the same to my father if he had the chance, but he didn't actually do the deed. His security guards did. They were the ones who enjoyed it.

"Hey, I get it," Josef spoke up and brought me back down to earth. "It was like someone else had taken over, just for a second, right?" He turned his head back and took a swig of whatever he had been drinking. "It's not pleasant, probably the farthest thing from it, and you hate yourself for it, even if you were protecting yourself. You will never feel good about it, no matter what the situation, but it's a necessary evil."

I slouched a bit as Jenny stumbled through the doorway with my food. Thinking back had taken its toll on my appetite. I decided to eat anyway though and let Josef talk for a while.

"It's just something you get used to out here. We've all done things we're not proud of, myself included." He continued. His tone dropped solemnly as he included himself, almost as if he were saying, "me especially."

We sat in silence for a while, until Josef tried to make conversation with the man at the other end of the bar. He was a terrible conversationalist, though. The man only responded with a series of grunts and one-word answers. Josef fired off multiple conversation starters, maybe thinking he could rope the guy into our conversation, but he wouldn't have any of it.

This man had something a little strange about him. He had a look on his face that betrayed his attempt to appear innocent. He was eerily clean for a wastelander, especially one from Megaton. His clothes didn't have a speck of dirt or grime. His hair was shaved on the side in a striped pattern that left it longer on the top. It was a burning red, with a touch blonde and his beard continued the color, though it had a trace of brown in it. His hazel eyes were always observing, always taking in, but never letting anything out. I wondered what he was looking for.

The more I looked him over, the more unsettled I felt. I couldn't shake this weird vibe I had gotten from him. You can call it instinct if you like, or you can chalk it up to my early wasteland paranoia, but something was simply wrong about him.

"Hey, Jen, bring his bill, too," Josef said with a finger pointed at me. "It's on me," he said as Jenny wrote up both of the prices. I tried to protest, explaining that I had enough to pay, but Josef nodded and handed Jenny a handful of caps. She grinned and winked.

"Always on your best behavior ain't ya, Joe?" she said playfully.

"I try to be," he said in the same playful way. He got up from the stool and patted me on the back. "C'mon, let's get out of here," he said as he walked away.

I got up, gathered my belongings and followed him like a lost puppy while that red-haired man at the other end of the bar eyed us suspiciously. Apparently, we were of some interest to him, but I wouldn't find that out until much later.

"So," he said awkwardly as we walked around town. "What do you want to do?" he asked as if we were a couple of bored teenagers enjoying a lazy afternoon even though I'm pretty sure he was at least six or seven years older than I.

"Hell if I know," I said, exasperated. "I'm new here, remember? Town cowboy is probably waiting for me to screw up so I figure I don't have many options of what I can do without him breathing down my neck." I kicked a stone and sent it bouncing along the dirt path. "Or at least, not anything interesting."

"Right, right," he repeated. "Y'know, I've been thinking. You need to get your mind off of all this vault shit." Josef explained as we started walking up the stairs towards the town exit. "I know a place, it's pretty crazy."

I almost immediately agreed that we should go, but then I remembered that I hardly know this guy. Here I was in a completely unfamiliar place, hanging out with some random fellow, and he was telling me we needed to do something crazy. If it were the vault, then I would've led the charge to start a bit trouble, but out here I needed to be more careful if I didn't want to wind up face down in a down shallow grave. I didn't even know what qualified as crazy on the surface world.

"Listen, we hit it off pretty well, but let's take things slow. How about a nice picnic instead?" I said sarcastically.

"If you bring the food I'll get the table cloth. Good luck with the food, by the way. Watch out for the ants, too." he retorted. "No, I was thinking something a little more dangerous."

If he hadn't caught my attention before, he definitely did then. "What kind of danger?" I inquired as he began opening the town gate.

"I'm thinking a few Molotov's, maybe a few explosions, some pointy things, and definitely some strong drinks." he said, already lusting over the thought of alcohol.

"Shit. Count me in." I said as we exited Megaton.

Josef and I walked to an area nearby that had much more burned out buildings than even Springvale. We chatted incessantly along the way, though I still didn't learn that much about the man. I learned that he was born somewhere in what used to be South Carolina. He apparently had lived near the coast when he was a child and had an older brother, whom he hadn't seen since he left home years ago. His parents were pretty rough people because they were part of some group of raiders before his brother was born, but they moved on and settled down. They weren't mean by any stretch of the word. They took care of their own, and even gave things up for Josef and his sibling, but weren't the best at showing their affection in simple ways, and were terrible at being gentle.

I guess even crazy marauders can change and become parents, despite the odds being against them.

We came to the top off a hill, just as the sun had begun to lower itself in the sky when he stopped me.

"Shh...Look over there." he pointed over to a sizable crowd of people on the road below us.

They were standing around a fenced in area of some kind that was divided up the middle with two cages at the end of it. They were all shouting and jumping around, glass bottles and other trash flying about as they did. Everyone seemed to be dressed in various junk pieces that were held together in a desperate attempt to clothe themselves.

"What is this?" I asked nervously. The crowd was a bit larger than anything I was comfortable with. They looked a hell of a lot meaner as well. We were vastly outnumbered. There had to be maybe eleven or twelve of them and only the two of us.

"Raider gathering. Tough sons-of-bitches. Lot's of fun to mess with, too, since most are either too drunk or high to think that someone could..." he pulled out a filled bottle with a fuse on it and lit it. "Well..." he said as he stood up. He grinned and shrugged as he readied himself. "Ruin their fun?"

Josef, who I was convinced was half mad by that point, lobbed the burning bottle at the edge of the crowd and watched the fiery explosion from afar. The crowd screamed and was thrown into utter chaos in just an instant as a few stomped on one poor guy in a pathetic attempt to put him out. They began to tumble over each other, some even got into fights, and all of them far too drunk or high to think clearly.

Bottles were broken to make impromptu shivs, and a few bullets were fired off as the raiders tore each other apart, believing that one of them had set off the explosion. Josef was laughing all the while like some mad child while I still had no idea why we were doing this.

"Oh shit! They never go this crazy!" he said between laughs. "Must be some strong stuff they're on tonight!"

It was pretty entertaining to watch, I must admit. Most of them stumbled around and swung their fists like they were unfamiliar with the idea of fighting, or standing straight for that matter. The herd was being thinned and I hadn't even lifted a finger and we could loot the ones who weren't in any shape to fight, to boot. Josef was very comfortable with the wasteland and was a force to be reckoned with if you weren't in control of all your faculties.

Josef cracked open a bottle of whiskey and took a quick sip of it while never taking his eyes off the action. "Havin' fun yet?" he said shaking the bottle. "I'm doing this for a reason, know."

"And what would that be?" I said as a stray bullet sailed past my head, nearly making me jump out of my skin.

"I want to show you that it doesn't have to be all gloom and doom out here. We can find our own entertainment." he sipped once more. "And when we need to take a preemptive strike, we take it," he said as he closed the bottle and tucked it inside his jacket, then fumbled around inside of it for something else: a rather bulky looking, weathered pistol of the same make that I remembered Vault Security being fond of.

"Shit, you're going to kill them?" I asked since I was content with leaving people alone so long as they did the same to me.

Josef stood up carefully as the chaos below continued underneath the flickering streetlights. "No, I'm not," he said as he pointed the pistol down at the poor schmuck closest to us and fired off one shot directly at his ass. "You are."

The raider whipped his head around to look for us, and then alerted his few remaining friends that were able to fight. All three of them.

"Fucking kill 'em!" he snarled viscously as he began to climb the steep hill we sat atop. The others whooped and howled as they tore the ground in their furious wake.

Suddenly, Josef turned around and ran away, leaving me standing to defend myself against the oncoming raiders.

"What the hell, man?" I shouted as I readied my bat. One of my foes reached the top of the hill and began charging at me with saliva dripping from his drugged, gnashing mouth. "Stay with me!" I shouted and the fleeing Josef.

"See you back in town, babe!" he shouted without even looking back.

I grunted in disbelief as I swung The Ass-Beater at the first raider's head. He spun around, lost a few teeth, and collapsed with a groan as the next guy was met with a jab in the chest from yours truly and a baseball bat. I followed up with a kick to the knee which sent him to the ground in pain. I grabbed his head and slammed my wooden weapon into his face with all my strength as blood spewed from his nose and sent him rolling backward down the hill.

There were only two raiders left and they both planned to run me through with their knives. Just as the two reached the top, one slashed at me, and only slightly caught me on my left arm. The other missed completely and tumbled back down.

"Stand still, dammit!" he shouted at me as he swung again, missing this time.

I punched the man who cut me directly in the jaw, dropped my bat, and then twisted his wrist to make him drop the knife. He screamed in pain as his wrist made an audible crack, then doubled over as I quickly punched him multiple times in the stomach. His drink from earlier decided to return while he lied on the ground and I turned to the last man who had pulled himself back up. He was almost nervous looking, or maybe angry, as I grabbed The Ass-Beater and swung at him.

He dodged under it and prepared to stab me in the gut, but I slid to the right, spun around, and then put his outstretched limb under my arm. I dropped my bat again as I wrested the knife from his grasp and then threw an elbow at me and slammed it right into his face. This raider was a bit more resilient than the others as that only seemed to make him angrier. He roared as his bloodshot eyes burned wildly and his yellow, rotten teeth showed themselves as he pushed me away and flailed his arms at me.

One punch hit me square in the side of the head, and another in the ribs. I grimaced as he wound up for another shot, but I dodged to the left as he thrust his fist directly in front of him. I went in for another blow but he kicked me down to the ground. I rolled in the dirt and tried to get up but my enemy was quick enough to plant his foot firmly on my side before I could. He pulled his leg back to try again when he saw that I was still moving, but I wasn't about to just let him. I rolled away and then leaped to my feet as his leg flew harmlessly past me, then threw my hand towards his chest with my whole body weight behind it. I collided with his sternum and then slung my other hand around to the side of his head and sent him reeling.

I brought my leg up and pushed him on his ass, then ran forward and brought my foot down on his face, putting him out for good. Behind me, one raider, the one who had vomited, had begun to stir again in an attempt to reach his feet. I got a running start and then kicked him in the face as he was still hunched over on the ground. He fell on his side, unconscious.

"Son of a bitch..." I said between deep breaths to myself while I wiped a bit of blood from my arm. The four raiders were all on the ground, unconscious, dead, or afraid to get up, and I was okay for the most part. I leaned over and placed my hands on my knees as I could feel myself slowly coming down from my adrenaline rush. I was exhausted, and I still had to make the trek back to Megaton so I could find Josef. Why had he abandoned me? I thought that he may have been working for them, but if he were, then he would've stuck around and fought alongside them. He would've easily killed me if that was his intention. I was completely off-guard on many occasions, and it would be ridiculous to bring me way out there just for simple murder. There was something else going on, but I really wasn't in the mood to ask questions.

I decided that it would be best to look around and see if the mass of bodies had anything good for me, whether in terms of weaponry or medical. I pulled one pistol made of old junk, a few bullets for it, a hand grenade, and a half functioning pocket watch. I just tossed watch, since it wasn't going to do me any good, and didn't bother with the nail boards and knives that were common in the group. I tore a piece of cloth from one of their outfits and wrapped it around the cut on my arm. One fellow was wearing a navy blue vest that had quite a few pockets on it, so I decided to take that off him as well. It wasn't terribly smelly and wasn't blood stained, so it would be fine after a quick wash.

Those people were hardly professional, but I still considered myself lucky that all I ended up with were a few bruises and a cut on the arm as I walked back to town through the dimly lit ruins.

I entered the gates of Megaton under the cover of night with only the lights in the windows and the ones hanging on cables above me to guide my way. My anger hadn't simmered down during the walk home, and I was pretty thankful that no one tried to stop me. I walked down to the bottom of the crater where the lights in front of the Brass Lantern were still on. I half expected to see Josef sitting where we had met earlier that day, but he wasn't. I sighed and decided that I was too tired to spend all night looking for that mad bastard, so I passed by and headed up the hill to the bar at the top.

The name of the bar was Moriarty's Saloon, though I learned that it was little more than a crappy shack with drunken good for nothings outside and inside of it when I approached it and opened the door. The room was dimly lit in red and purple lights in an attempt to feign class, but it was impossible with the terrible smell in there. There was a scantily clad woman in the corner smoking a cigar, a loud man shouting unintelligibly at another behind the bar and a few customers littered around. The only sounds were the static of the radio, and the owner, Moriarty, shouting at his employees. He had a foreign accent, probably Irish or Scottish I imagine. I've never been able to hear both side by side, and have only known two people who had such a heavy accent so I honestly don't know which it was. Gob, the man he was shouting at, had a scratchy voice that I could hardly hear between Moriarty's impressive vocal projections. I didn't get a good look at him since it was dark where he was standing, but I would later learn that he was the town ghoul.

If you live under or a rock somewhere, or in a hole, then I'll explain to you what a ghoul is. First think of any person, anyone at all, that you know. Once you have them in your mind, imagine them as bacon, and then imagine that bacon being burnt to a crusty crisp. There you go. That's a ghoul described in a nutshell, and you're welcome.

"Hey!" I shouted to the loudmouthed owner. "I need a room. You have any open?" I asked as Moriarty held his hand out to Gob and came to the counter. He put on his best smile, which was still godawful and conniving, and clasped his hands together.

"Aye, that we do," he said with his thickly accented voice. "Cost is forty caps, up front, and another fifteen fer every night extra ye stay." He looked me over once or twice, as if he was trying to figure something out, or decide if I would even be welcome there, then held out his hand.

I took the bag Gomez had given me, and opened it up. There had to be at least fifty or so caps in there, so I counted them out to forty, and handed them over the smiling owner.

"Thank ye for your patronage." he said as his mouth practically watered over the pile of money and handed me the key to the room upstairs.

That was my first night in the wasteland, in a bed that wasn't Vault-Tec standard. It was uncomfortable, it was dusty and smelled awful, but it was like everything else out here, so I guess I had no choice. I spent a while thinking back over my busy first day, wondering where my dad had run off to in such a hurry. Did he even leave in a hurry, or had he been planning his escape for a while?

My father wasn't the type of man to act without a plan, and definitely, not one who would leave for selfish reasons, not when the whole vault could go to hell without anyone to patch them up. I thought about Amata, and how she must have been feeling right then, and how much she must hate me for killing her only family. She was alone now, and the entire vault had no one to lead them or reorganize them after one bad morning.

My train of thought was derailed when the scantily clad woman who was standing downstairs opened my door and aligned herself in the doorway.

"The fuck?" I said as I looked up at her. "What do you want?" I asked her as she stood there eyeing me seductively.

"You got a room a Moriarty's, babe," she said as smoothly as she could muster. "You get me with the room."

"Get the hell out of here," I said as I rolled over and tried to go to sleep. "I don't want you in here," I said coldly as she slipped out of the room, a bit flustered. I hadn't even thought that Moriarty's Saloon was that kind of place, especially not one that sends you a hooker without asking first. _"Weird-ass town, but I guess it's not all bad."_ I thought as I drifted off to sleep.

~ August 18, 2277 ~

On the morning of my second day in the Capital Wasteland, as it was called, I had found myself in a precarious situation. Downstairs, there was a loud argument going on, despite it being only around nine or ten in the morning. Most regulars were not even present in the bar at that hour, except for the few who had rented a room, like me. I had walked downstairs and prepared to leave when the owner shouted that he was done with the "fecking zombie." He raised his fist above his head and struck the cowering ghoul, Gob, in the face. Gob cowered against the wall and begged for Moriarty to stop, but the owner was not in a good mood.

"Shut yer mouth!" Moriarty yelled as loud as he could and then brought his other fist to Gob's bruised body. The woman, Nova, stood fearfully in the corner away from the rampaging man. By the look on her face, that hadn't been the first time she was placed in the situation and by the bruises Gob received, he had always been on the receiving end.

My first instinct was to walk away and let the usual occurrence happen. The sight of Gob was very unnerving, and I almost gagged when I got a good look at him, but that wasn't any reason to let him get beat. He may have looked different, but he seemed kind enough.

I sighed, knowing I was going to regret my next action.

I stepped quickly over to Moriarty and grimaced as his fist collided with Gob once again. "Lay off," I said plainly.

He turned around, eyes burning with fury. "Feck you!" he shouted, paying me no mind. He swung again.

"I said stop!" I shouted at him, probably waking anyone still sleeping.

"Are you deaf?!" he shouted as spit flew from his mouth, his breath quite rancid.

"Listen. To. ME." I said through gritted teeth, my face hot with fury, my heart beating rapidly, hyped on a surge of adrenaline. "You will not hit him one more time. You will not hurt ANYONE. People are not your property, scum, they are human beings, even if they look different, and you will treat them as such, or you will answer to me." I growled at him, almost angry enough to lash out and bash his head. "Understand?"

Moriarty only nodded, still thoroughly pissed that a stranger had stepped in to disrupt his usual pastime, and probably embarrassed to have his authority challenged by some random kid. He stepped back and straightened his collar, then let out a puff of air through his nose.

"You let me know if he gives you any more trouble, okay?" I called out to Gob who was flabbergasted from the entire ordeal. I smiled slightly, choking back small chunks of vomit, then left the building. That wouldn't be my last confrontation with Moriarty. People like him need a little more force to change, or maybe a little more fear.

Once outside, I took a deep breath and tried to calm my churning stomach. My first up-close look at a ghoul wasn't a pleasing experience, but I would become more accustomed to the sight later on.

I knew that I wouldn't have to go very far to find Josef since the first person I met outside said that he was waiting for me at the Brass Lantern. I thanked them and ran down the walkways filled with bustling Megatonites (as I once called them) already angry that he was brazen enough to sit in town after the stunt he pulled the night before. The people in town probably had no idea why he was looking for me, but at least they were kind enough to relay the message to me.

I could see his tied-up hair already as I rounded the corner. He was sitting in his usual spot at the Brass Lantern where he was slurping down some kind of stew. Josef apparently didn't hear me approach, most likely because of the incredible noises he was making with his meal because I could've taken him out right there. He wouldn't have seen it coming.

I didn't, though.

"Josef," I said as I folded my arms across my chest with the intent to look as if I were a credible threat.

He spun around in his chair after slurping down one last gulp and grinned toothily. "Well damn!" he exclaimed and clapped a few times. "Remind me not to piss you off!" he chuckled.

I punched him right in the mouth and sent him onto the ground. "Too late."

He held his hand over his mouth, face twitching slightly before removing it to check if he were bleeding. He wasn't since I did more pushing than striking with that punch. "Okay. I deserved that," he said before gently touching his lip and wincing.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I shouted. "You left me there with all of those raiders!" I continued to refresh his memory as well as let everyone else in, just in case I needed backup.

"I did not!" Josef said as he pulled himself up to the counter. "I was right there the whole time, you just couldn't see me."

I was about to let him have an earful, and a fistful, but stopped. I wanted to hear his explanation.

"I see that you aren't following, so let me lay it out for you. I was just around the corner the whole time, watching, waiting, observing..."

"Get to the damn point." I spat out to cut him off.

"I had my gun pointed and ready the whole time," he said with a point to his hip where the pistol was hanging in its holster. "If things went south, then I would've popped one in their heads before they even knew what hit 'em. Boom, easy as pie." he made an explosion motion with his hands then snapped and leaned back into his chair. "You weren't in any real danger, except for maybe that last guy. He _had_ to be on some Psycho." he laughed again. "Of course, you handled him pretty well, too."

I thought that it must all have been some sort of sick joke that he had played. He seemed to be telling the truth, though, so I cooled off a little bit. "Why, then?" I asked with the expectation for him to say "for shits and giggles", but he didn't.

He looked directly at me and put on the most serious face I had seen him with since I had met him. "I wanted you to learn. You are new to all this, the wasteland, that is, so I figured that you had no idea how to fight." he turned around and slipped a few caps into a bag, then left it on the table. "I was half right."

I took offense to that, obviously, but he did have a point. I had no idea what I was doing out there and probably got lucky. The most experience I had with multiple combatants was from the morning before, and a few fights I had with the Tunnel Snakes years before. They were not quite as dangerous, though.

"Now, before you get cocky, let me remind you: those guys were drunk and had probably done more drugs last night than you have in your entire life, so they weren't at the top of their game. If they had been, then they could've fucked you up. Bad." Josef patted the seat next to him, motioning for me to take it. "The only way to learn out here is through experience, and you can tuck last night's scuffle under your belt. Call it 'Intro to the Wasteland,' taught by Professor Wasteland himself."

I sat down and hunched over, still suspicious of him and his intentions but thoroughly intrigued. He had offered to teach me a few things about the Capital Wasteland, and I took it that it wasn't something to take lightly since everyone had to worry about themselves. I had no idea what I was doing, and I didn't want to pretend that I did. Josef, on the other hand, was accustomed to the horrors of the wasteland. "So, if I agree to this, you're not going to bury me in a shallow grave?"

Josef pushed my shoulder. "C'mon, use your head. If I had planned that, I would've blasted you last night," He extended his hand outwards and balled up his fist. "So we doing this or what? Partners?"

I sighed, "Partners," and bumped my fist into his.


	5. The Lawful Few

Chapter Five

 _The Lawful Few_

~ August 29, 2277 ~

Josef followed through on his offer to teach me about wasteland survival. Every day for a week and a half, I was out in the dirt and dust of the surrounding areas of Megaton and Springvale, observing wildlife, cooking strange plants that occasionally had teeth on them, fighting quite a few raiders, and asking any strangers about my father.

I had certainly learned to hold my own against many threats, though none of them were particularly serious. Raiders were still dangerous in large, but with Josef taking shots at them, and helping me aim correctly, they were manageable. He taught me to take out the ones with ranged weaponry first, then pick off the close range fighters, and then the ones with just their hands last. Typically, they had some caps and a few bullets for the same kind of junk pistol I had looted of the very first group of them. I still didn't like killing people, though.

Since I had raiders handled pretty well, Josef decided to take me mole rat hunting. Basically, wasteland mole rats are giant, pink rat creatures that have teeth the size of your hand and can burrow into the ground and then jump up from below you. They were absolutely terrifying the first few times, but then I figured out that I needed to stomp on them when they emerged. They weren't too dangerous after a couple foot crushes to the face. I would also tell you of my adventures in botany but is was boring as hell while living it so I'll spare you the details.

All in all, the first three types of my wasteland endeavors were fruitful. The fourth was not as successful. I really had begun to believe that my father may not have even come by Megaton and had headed in an entirely different direction upon his departure, but that didn't stop me from buzzing about the place.

I made myself known to many of the townsfolk, and they weren't as terrible as you'd expect. Most were friendly people, but skeptical of travelers, as they should be. A few of them thought that maybe they had seen my father and tried to help, eager to speak with the Vault-Dweller or maybe even hear a few stories. They weren't very helpful, though, since all they really wanted to know was if they could enter the promised land of Vault 101 if they found my dad. Things I had known for my entire life were like fairy tales to them. Clean water, a seemingly endless food supply, and a comfortable bed were all figments of their imagination but a part of my reality in the vault.

I tried to help out wherever I could since I figured I would be staying in Megaton for quite a while, and that maybe I could make some sort of life there as well when I finally found my dad. It wasn't like returning home was an option anymore. Surely they wouldn't allow me to come back after my less than graceful departure. I thought that if I fixed some things around town then people might be a bit less tight-lipped, maybe a bit more welcoming, and it sort of worked. I convinced some of the Megatonites that I was able to be trusted, but most of them still avoided me like I had the plague.

I didn't give up, though. He had to be out there somewhere, and someone was bound to see him at some point, preferably alive and not in danger. It was a matter of time and a matter of patience. I only hoped for one thing during that time: that I wasn't too late. My new friend, Josef, however, was a bit impatient.

"C'mon, we should just go out there and look for him!" Josef said as he swatted a few gnats away from his face and missed them entirely. "It's a better idea than sitting with our thumbs up our asses. Look, I've been in this dirt town and haven't had a job for about two months now and I'm bored with it. I'm a wanderer, a merc, it's what I do."

"Don't you live here, though?" I asked.

"Yeah, but I'd much rather be somewhere else, and just because I live here right now doesn't mean it's not a dirt town."

I sighed and shook my head, then brushed my hair back. "But where would we even start?" I stumbled over a dip in the ground then regained my balance. I cursed at the unleveled ground under my breath and then returned to continue my earlier thought. "Is there anyone in town I haven't asked yet? Anyone at all?"

"Well, there's Moira Brown." Josef placed his hand over his chin, then shifted his eyes around and shoved one hand deep into his pocket uncomfortably. "She's freaking crazy, though. Probably has a body count higher than anyone in the Wasteland." He then punched my arm and laughed. "Even higher than you, killer."

"Please. I _definitely_ took out two of those raiders by myself, tops. Well, maybe just one. That's a new record for one day." I said, uncharacteristically cheery about it. Moments later, I realized that I had actually said that. I wasn't sure what deep pit of my being that had come from, but it was from in there somewhere. I recoiled and sunk back a bit in shame.

"There!" Josef snapped quickly and pointed at me. "Right there! You see? You're loosening up a little bit." He said a little too proudly.

I frowned at his nonchalant attitude towards taking lives. "Self-defense or not, it doesn't make it okay."

"Yadda-yadda-yadda," he repeated as he waved his arms in the air. "It's not a matter of right and wrong, okay? It's survival, and you're going to need to understand that if you ever want to find dear old dad," he explained sternly. "You see those motherfuckers out there?" He waved his hand over a large swath of the horizon.

"Nope," I said.

Josef just chuckled. "They don't care about you, or your dad. They won't listen when you say that you are only looking for a family member, that you don't want any trouble, and they sure as hell ain't going to let you go because you look like a nice guy." Josef explained very intensely and jabbed me in the forehead with the tip of his fingers then kept moving. "That's what I want you to get."

"Alright, alright. Don't be a dick about it." I retorted and rubbed my face. "I just don't want to make a habit of it, is that so bad?"

"Somewhat. You're going to have to kill people if you ever want to find old pop."

"Well, at least you're honest."

The streets of Megaton were bustling with weary travelers and townsfolk and, as usual, was a veritable hole of chatter and stench. No one had anything important to say, at least, not anything important to me. Josef listened in on all the gossip and relayed it all to my ears whether I wanted it or not. I usually didn't, but at least I had someone to talk to while I walked up to Moriarty's where I had been hanging out during the day until I finally gave up on asking people about my father. Josef typically went on about his usual business until we met up again later, so we split up at the door.

I entered the building, waved to Gob and began to move to my usual spot in the corner where a man was resting. He wasn't one of the people I had seen recently, and definitely not someone who lived in town. No, he was dressed much too well than anyone around. Clad in a brown suit, dark tinted glasses and a fedora, the man looked about the room, eyeing every new visitor and sizing them up. That is, he eyed them until he caught me in his gaze.

"My, my, my." the man said with a devilish grin. He rubbed his hands together and then extended one to the chair next to him. "Please, sit down."

I looked him over suspiciously. He seemed harmless enough, but I knew better than to trust everyone completely.

"Don't be shy, I won't bite." he playfully spoke in a way that made me uncomfortable. "I just want to speak with you. Maybe hire you for a job? You do need money, yes?"

"I guess I do," I said as I sat down. I had run out of caps a few days ago and was casually sleeping on the floor of Josef's small shack on the outer wall of the town, so I thought it would be nice to have a bit of money for a bed, if only for a night. "What kind of job are we talking?"

The man breathed in deeply and exhaled slowly. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Burke. I represent a certain... _interest._ One that should not be taken lightly, and only entrusted with the most discerning, tasteful even, of audiences."

"And you chose Megaton for that?" I said with a slight chuckle. "I don't know what kind of town you think this is but-"

"Please, allow me to finish," Burke said to cut me off. "I don't want to waste too much of your time, so I'll cut right to the chase." He leaned in close and motioned for me to do the same. "I need you to do something very simple, but very important for the advancement of humanity as a whole," he whispered coolly.

"And what might that be?" I said with faux interest.

"I assume that you are well aware of the explosive placed precariously in the center of this...hamlet...yes?"

I started to feel a bit nervous. What kind of question was that anyway?

"I need you to rig the bomb. I need it to explode," he said plainly, then leaned away.

I tried to process the words for a moment. _"Blow up the town?"_ I thought to myself. My blood ran cold, and my heart skipped a beat. That would've killed everyone in town, most of them innocent.

"Seriously? What good could that possibly do?!" I said quietly. I tried to hide my absolute disgust at the thought, but I think Burke saw through me.

"Now, now..." he said raising his hands up. "I know it sounds dark, but think of it this way. This...town...it's a relic. It's a reminder of a long past era where struggles were greater, and hope was lesser. We can never rebuild to our former glory unless we do away with the chains that bind us to our past. You, friend, have no investments in this town. You have no ties, nothing to lose."

"But... _killing_ everyone?"

"Ah, you see, they would be dying for the greater good of humanity. Their sacrifices would be noble. Heroic, even." Mr. Burke said with great pride. "A true testament to the ability of individuals to put others, all of humanity, before themselves," he said as he removed his hat and placed it over his dirty, blackened heart as a symbol of respect.

I shuddered at the thought of a nuclear detonation. They are the stuff of nightmares, the kind that only humanity is capable of creating. They were responsible for the state of the world and that man wanted me to initiate another.

"Take a few moments to decide," Burke said as he lit a cigarette. "It's not a very easy- It's not something to be taken lightly," he muttered between toxic puffs of smoke. He took out a small box of some sort and slid it over to me. It was heavy, far heavier than I had thought it would be, and had wires running all over it, interconnecting and of various colors.

Never before, and only a few times again, did I hold such power in my hands. I was in a position to take life or give it, and the gravity of the situation was unimaginable. I was terrified and equally intrigued at both outcomes of the situation. I was disgusted and attentive. I would never wish for anyone to hold that power, not because I fear what they would do with it, but because I fear what it would do to them.

Burke had sat patiently, awaiting my answer. He blew a few more puffs of smoke, then buried the remaining stub in the ashtray. "Well?" he inquired.

I breathed in shallow breaths and offered up my answer.

"I'll do it. Megaton will burn."

"Delightful."

I lied, of course. Mr. Burke was clearly insane, but had the power to annihilate innocent people, and would surely hire someone else if I failed. The directions he had given me after I agreed were very simple. All I needed to do was attach the "fusion pulse charge" to the bomb and he would be able to detonate it remotely from some place called Tenpenny Tower. Upon my arrival to Tenpenny Tower, I would receive a generous sum of caps. Obviously, he needed to be stopped, but I couldn't kill the man outright without the town coming at me. I needed the support of the law.

"Howdy, kid. Staying out of trouble?" Lucas Simms said with a grin.

During the short time I had spent in Megaton, Simms had warmed up to me considerably. Like a few of the other settlers, he came to trust me somewhat, and we spoke on more than one occasion. He had become interested in the vault, and during my stories, he loosened up. He seemed less like the overbearing lawman I had met on my first day, and more like a decent person just trying to keep the town he loved safe. I guess you could say it was refreshing to me that there were still people looking out for one another.

"Hardly. We've got a situation." I looked around and pulled Simms to the side. "Do you know Mr. Burke?"

Lucas looked up at Moriarty's and then back to me. "Yeah, he sits up there at the saloon most of the day. Dressed too sharp for this place. You usually miss him while you're out with that mercenary friend of yours killing-"

I pulled the fusion pulse charge out of my bag and handed it to Lucas Simms.

"Uh...What the hell is this?" he said as he turned the metal box over and examined it like a child trying to guess what's in a present under the Christmas tree.

"That there is a fusion pulse charge," I said as I tapped it with one finger. "Burke gave it to me a few minutes ago."

"Explain." he said, his brow furrowed.

"If this thing is stuck on the bomb down there. Someone from outside of town could press a button and then...kaboom." I used my hand to make an explosion effect. "Whole town gone."

Lucas turned pale and dropped the box on the ground. "Holy shit," he said as he clenched his fists. "You're sure about this?" he said sternly.

"Absolutely. Burke thinks I'm going to do it, but he'll find out soon enough that I'm not."

Lucas Simms's face flickered with anger. "Son of a bitch," he grunted as he swung his rifle around to his hands. "C'mon kid, you're 'bout to get educated in Wasteland Justice. You'll be my deputy today, think you can handle that?"

"Probably," I said as Lucas rushed past me.

Lucas ran full speed down into the crater, up the winding walkways, and towards the door as onlookers stared worriedly. He stopped just short of opening it and turned around and looked at me.

"What is it? Let's get this bastard." I said as I readied my junk pistol. "Hell needs a population."

Simms stared for a few moments, completely wordless, then he kicked the door open.

"Burke!" he shouted loudly, almost making Mr. Burke jump out of his skin.

"Why are-whatever could it be, Sheriff Simms?" Burke said nervously as he began to stand up.

Lucas pushed him back into the chair and aimed his rifle at him. "Don't fuckin' make a move dammit!" he shouted as most of the customers in Moriarty's dashed from the building. "You know what this is about! You're trying to blow up the damn town!"

Burke shifted in his seat and searched for words to explain away the trouble, but couldn't find any.

"Get up," Simms said as he jerked the man from his seat. "You're coming with me."

I walked to the door, opened it and allowed Lucas to march through with Mr. Burke behind him. I still try to chalk it up to Lucas having a lot on his mind, or maybe he made a small mistake in the heat of the moment, but the situation was about to get ugly.

All at once, time slowed down for me as I watched Mr. Burke pull a small, silenced pistol from his pocket and fire off five or six shots into Lucas Simms's back. The calm facade of Mr. Burke's face was shattered in an instant as pure panic appeared in his formerly expressionless face. He didn't stop pulling the trigger after he had emptied all of his rounds and the click of the empty pistol sounded twice. Lucas collapsed onto the ground with a painful grunt, and blood began to pool around him.

"Ugh..." Burke said as he looked at the blood spreading on the metal floor. He whipped his head around just in time to see me move.

I rushed Burke, pushing his gun away from me while he shot into the air wildly, and held him against the railing. I couldn't get my pistol aimed at him very well with him flailing his arms around, and I didn't want to miss and hit anyone else. I tried to wind up and hit him with it, but he whipped his arm at mine and knocked my junk pistol away. I resorted to my fists and landed a punch solidly on his nose.

"Mother of-" Burke said as he tried to reach his face.

Then he struggled against me while I held him back as much as I could. Blood dripped down his face, my fist strikes doing nothing more than making a mess. He was about to wriggle free, then shoot me down. I had to make my move.

I slammed Burke against the railing, just enough to unbalance him, then rammed the front of him with everything I had. He flew backward, spun over the guardrail, and fell down to the bottom of the crater. I watched over the ledge as he began to scream on the way down before he crashed into the earth, becoming a crumpled mess of tangled limbs. Many onlookers crowded him at the bottom, some running away and screaming at the sight of a murder.

I spun around to Lucas who was lying on the ground, coughing up blood. He began to fumble with the star on the front of his brown leather duster while I poured out the contents of my bag to find a stimpak. Many who witnessed the grizzly scene had begun to crowd around and those who had only watched Burke's fall approached with weapons already drawn, just in time to catch an eyeful of Lucas's sorrowful state.

I continued to sift through my meager belongings, only finding one stimpak, and a syringe of Med-X. I rolled up Lucas's sleeve, raised the syringe and prepared to inject him with the last hope of saving his life. It was the last of mine, but I didn't want to leave the man dying in the streets. I couldn't.

He wouldn't have it. He waved me off and pointed to the Med-X. Lucas took it from me and injected it into his arm, albeit sloppily. It seemed to do just as he had wanted, though. It eased his agony just enough for him to speak.

"Take my...Protect." Lucas said with painful gasps and shudders. He took the blood-covered, golden star from his chest and placed it in my hands. His eyes were shifting fearfully from side to side as if he could see the darkness of death closing in on him. "Make...them...pay," he whispered as his body experienced the last shivers of life. He took a few final, labored breaths and passed into the place beyond.

I mentioned early on that I had been the cause of death, although indirectly, but by my inaction. Lucas Simms, Sheriff of Megaton, was the first name on my list. He left behind a son, who would never have the chance to say goodbye to his father, and would wait many years before he could take up the mantle of Town Sheriff in a different location. He would leave behind a town that had come to rely on him, despite cracking jokes at his cowboy appearance and many friends who would mourn his loss.

I sat on the metallic ground as the entire town gathered around, some enraged, some releasing tears like a river, all hurting. While I sat there, I learned something. Lucas was a selfless man, despite his rough exterior. He cared deeply for the people around him and would've given anything to protect them.

It's a shame it didn't make as large of an impression on me as it

should've. All I saw was a man cut down by in his desperate attempt to repel evildoers who had no sympathy.

Josef came thundering like a horse up the walkway and pushed through the crowd to reach me.

"Hey man..." he said breathlessly and bent over with his hands on his knees. "I was outside the gates takin' a piss when I-." Josef stopped short as he took in the sight before him, appalled at a death within the gates. "Damn...can't leave for five minutes..." he said as the crowd began to disperse, but only slightly. He looked around at all of the people, then at the crumpled body many feet below us in the dirt streets.

"Who did it?" Josef asked solemnly.

"Burke," I grumbled. "He's dead, but it's not over," I said as I packed the contents of my bag back inside.

"So the guy down there?" He pointed over the edge and down to the ground. "Why the fuck would he just-"

I held my hand up and shook my head. "He wanted to blow up the town. He wanted ME to do it, or he would find someone else to do it, so Simms and I tried to put a stop to it."

Josef gulped loudly at blowing up Megaton. "W-Well, problem solved, right? He doesn't seem to be in any condition to hire people or detonate any bombs. Honestly, he doesn't seem to be doing much of anything other than bleeding in the dirt."

"It's not that simple. He came from some place called Tenpenny Tower. Said that he had orders from the owner to destroy the town and..." I made quotation gestures with my fingers "make way for the future."

I placed the last few of my belongings back in my bag, the last being the note I had taken from my father's office and had not yet read.

"I'm pretty sure Tenpenny Tower is that big-ass tower you can see from the hill just outside. Not the REALLY big one in the D.C. ruins, the other one." Josef explained as I stood up. He crossed his arms and looked over the town.

People had already tried to go on about their business, but they had a lurking fear in their minds now. There was no protector of them other than a few townies with pea-shooters and a stiff metal man out front. They didn't know about Burke's plans, but they would know soon enough, and the town would fly into a panic.

"So...we going or not?" Josef said with a grim tone in his voice.

I clenched my fists and gritted my teeth. I didn't want to believe that that behavior was acceptable out here, and I sure as hell wasn't going to let anyone get away with it if I were around.

"Yeah, we're going. That whole damn tower is coming down, too." I said as I marched past Josef.

"Hold on there, man." Josef ran around in front of me. "If we're going then we sure as hell ain't walking all that way. That's for hobos."

"And we're not?"

"You are, but I'm not. I'm a homeowner, more or less." Josef looked around and then motioned for me to follow him. "Come with me, I've got us a ride."

Josef took me around to his shack outside the gates. He asked me to wait in front of it and close my eyes while he ran around to the back. A few clanks and thuds rang out and I heard a crunching noise approaching me.

"Okay, open 'em," Josef said cheerily.

My eyes were met with a two-seated monstrosity of a bicycle. It was rusted and lacked proper handlebars. One of the tires was covered in patches of varying colors, it had two sets of pedals but I think one of them was replaced with bedroom slipper. It did have a small bell, though.

"What in..." I said as I found myself at a loss.

"Surprise! I've been working on this baby for a while." Josef gave it a kick and caused the slipper pedal to fall off. "It...Uh...needs a little more work. We should still be able to ride it, though." He leaped on the front seat and then patted the one behind him. "Hop on, it's a fine day for a bike ride, and it's a bicycle built for two."

"No, I ride on the front," I said as I narrowed my eyes.

"Get on the bike."

"Nope. I ride on the front seat."

"Fine."

I sat down and gave the bell a ring. "Ding-ding, motherfuckers, we're coming for you," I said in a mock serious tone.

"Man, what are you even saying?" Josef said as he rubbed his forehead. "Please don't drop one-liners. It's just embarrassing for me and for you."

"You've got to admit that it was pretty funny, though, right? I thought that maybe it could be a thing." I looked back over my shoulder as I pushed down the bedroom slipper pedal.

"Just pedal the bike." Josef huffed as we crested the small hill and squeaked own the road in a cloud of dust.

"So have you ever been to Tenpenny Tower?" I called over my shoulder to Josef.

"Nope. Well, that's not entirely true." Josef said as we bounced over a gash in the road.

"What do you mean?" I asked, puzzled by his retraction.

"I've BEEN there, but I've never been inside. They don't like outsiders. The whole place is full of rich people as far as I can tell, and poor folk like you and me aren't allowed in."

"They sound like a swell group," I said sarcastically. "So how are they gonna keep us from just walking in?"

Josef laughed. "I guess with a fifteen-foot wall and lots of rifles and bullets!"

We rounded a curve and continued onwards, the road leading slightly downhill. There was a building up ahead, some sort of old factory, I think. The parking lot was pretty empty, save for an old man and a small entourage of robots. One was like Deputy Weld at the gates of Megaton, another looked like Andy but was painted in a green, militaristic fashion and spouted patriotic encouragement. One was a Mr. Handy, exactly like Andy and had the same voice, which caught me off-guard since I had never met another one like him.

I wasn't in the mood for a sales pitch, so I just continued to pedal despite the man's best efforts to flag us down. Tenpenny Tower was just next door, and the day was coming closer to an end.


	6. The Aristocratic Life

Chapter Six

 _The Aristocratic Life_

~ August 29, 2277 ~

The wall Josef had told me about was already in view and was just as intimidating as I imagined. There was no way in hell that we were getting over that thing, and we probably had less of a chance to get in the front gate. Even if I would've hopped on Josef's shoulders and then tried to reach I still wouldn't have been able to clear it.

A man was standing at the front gate, one that resembled Gob in the zombie-like appearance but still exhibited the diversity of the rotten skinned residents of D.C. He was shouting angrily at a small intercom that was stuck on the wall.

"Look, we can pay the damn caps, just let us in!" He shouted as he waved his hands around to emote.

Another grumbly voice came through the static of the speaker. "I don't give a rat's ass if you can pay. You can have those whole tunnels filled with caps, you can shit them out, and you still ain't getting in here, got it?"

"I've got only two others with me, why can't you just make space?" the ghoul yelled. "You have to have an empty room somewhere in there."

"I've explained this before, but I guess your skin isn't the only thing rotted." the man on the speaker said irritably. "I'm saying this one last time. No. Zombies. Allowed!"

The word zombie offended the ghoul greatly. He recoiled, then clenched his fists and prepared to roar back at the man on the other side. "FINE! If you can't see the difference between me and the feral ones, I'll show you the damn-"

Ding, ding. I rode the bicycle right behind the ghoul and rang the bell. He glanced over his shoulder and made a face then tried to continue. Ding, ding. I cut him off again. He turned around to face me and I acted surprised that the bell had been rung.

He took a deep breath. "Do you mind?" he asked. The ghoul began to walk away and passed around the corner of the wall as he continued to mumble to himself. "I guess it doesn't matter. Threats don't win wars, actions do."

I got off the bike and pressed the button on the intercom and was treated to a blast of crackling sounds.

"I thought I told you to get your zombified ass the hell out of here!" said the voice from behind the wall.

"Yeah I'm gonna need an order of fries and a ranch burger, hold the ranch, extra-human," I said in a fake ghoul voice as I made my voice a hoarse growl.

"What the? You ain't a zombie." the voice said, surprised.

"How could you tell?" I said, a bit confused.

"Paul, could you hurry this up, it's humid out here," Josef whined behind me as he wiped his forehead.

"Oh, you again." the man groaned. "We don't have any jobs today, merc, not for _your_ kind." the man sounded disgusted at thought of Josef, who he had apparently met before.

"Ouch," I said looking at Josef. "This guy know you very well?"

Josef shrugged, then walked over to the gate and began rattling it. He gave it a firm kick, then observed the amount of rust on the metallic pieces. Then, he carefully looked over the chain that held it tightly shut, pulled on it with a grunt. Josef placed his foot on the gateway to brace himself against it, then pulled as hard as he was able.

"What are you doing?" the man, who had now stepped into view asked as he poked a rifle through the bars and nudged Josef away. The man had a nametag hanging from his clean, dark brown uniform that read, "Chief Gustavo." It looked somewhat similar to the old pre-war police uniforms but clearly modified with a bit more shiny pieces, and a large letter "T" in cursive script embroidered over the breast pocket.

Josef stepped back and held his hands up in the air. "Just trying to bust down your gates, but it seems like they're locked up tight."

Gustavo eyed Josef carefully, one eyebrow raised higher than the other and his mouth hung open. "Yeah, they are. Now just go, I was very clear the last time you were around that you are never getting in, no matter what. Direct orders from the big man upstairs."

I covered my mouth and gasped. "You mean?" I looked towards the orange-blue expanse above.

"No, no. I mean the literal guy upstairs. Mr. Tenpenny, but I guess around here, he's as close to that as you can get." Gustavo explained while he made his exasperation clear with a wipe of his face.

Josef pulled on my shoulder and motioned for me to come with him.

"Yeah, yeah go ahead and leave. I didn't want to run anyone off today anyways." Gustavo called from the safety of his gates.

Josef led me around to the back of the wall and stopped and looked around for a few moments.

"So was that a race thing back there or...?" I pointed with my thumb to the corner of the wall.

Josef swiveled his head back and forth one more time then answered. "That unwelcome thing? Ha. No, not in the least, but that's something for another time. I'll tell you about it later, okay?" he said in an uncomfortable fashion. "Listen we ain't getting in there," he grumbled to himself. "But I have an idea, just hear me out."

I remained silent.

"Okay, so the only way in there is through the gate or over the wall right?" Josef said in a hushed but excited tone.

"Right," I assured then pulled on the straps of my bag. They had begun to feel uncomfortable on my shoulders a while back, but by then I was aching to leave it somewhere.

"So we just go over the wall." he folded his arms and grinned proudly. "Trust me, we just gotta ramp..."

"That's a pretty sucky idea." a female voice said from around the corner and deflated Josef's grin.

A woman with sandy blonde hair that was cut short, not even reaching her shoulders, but still being longer than mine, stepped from around the corner. Something about her face was a little off as if one side was a slightly different shade than the other like she had the wrong color of makeup. I wasn't sure why someone of the wasteland would wear makeup, though. She held a scoped rifle midway down the barrel while she strolled casually over to us as if she was already part of our group.

"In the event that you do clear the wall, how do you intend to stick the landing..."

Josef piped up again. "Ah! Great point, um..." he scratched his head for a moment or so, then coughed nervously. "Well, I've got pretty good balance?"

"Do you have good enough balance to land it silently?" she said with an eyebrow raised and arms crossed. "I mean, I'm not doubting you or anything, but I tried that once and went splat right on the..."

"Okay, okay, I see your point." Josef sighed and kicked a bit of dust.

I didn't know who this girl was, or why she was exchanging ideas on how to break in with us. "Pardon me for asking, but who are you anyway? Can we trust you?" I inquired, fully prepared to hear the worst answer possible since I had mentally prepared for that to always be the kind of answer I'd get in the wastes.

She made a fake shocked face. "MY! How could a gentleman such as yourself behave in such a manner?"

"What?" I asked, already grimacing.

"Asking a lady for her name before giving yours, how uncouth!" she turned her nose upwards towards the sky.

Josef pushed me aside, nearly knocking me over and knelt down, head bowed and hand extended. "Josef Clark, Traveling Hero and local resident of Megaton," he said as he took her hand and kissed it lightly. "Just call my name, and I'll be there in a heartbeat."

"I just killed a mole rat with that hand. Pretty bloody," she said as Josef was thrown into a coughing fit, wiping his mouth on his jacket sleeve. "Congrats on having manners, though, even if they are a bit dated."

I stepped up next and simply shook hands with her, avoiding the mole rat one. "Paul of Vault 101. Well, formerly of Vault 101, and he just spun you a load of bullshit. He's no hero."

"Ouch." she shot Josef a look, who was still dealing with the bloody mole rat hand. "My name is Ana. Ana Robinson, and to answer your earlier question, yes, you can trust me." She raised a hand in the air and placed the other over her heart. "I swear I won't plant a knife in your back or a bullet for that matter."

I shot a glance down to her rifle, which was a bit intimidating since she was carrying it around as if it were as dangerous as a tree branch. The rifle itself had a pretty long barrel, one befitting something of a sniper's choice, and could've turned my head to paste at close range. It was a deep black color with slightly lighter silver pieces on just the scope.

"Oh, I see you're eyeing Orange, there." Ana sad as she hoisted her rifle upwards and held it at the tip of the barrel and at the butt of the stock. "Just don't touch, 'kay?"

"You named your rifle Orange?" Josef asked while he let out another quick cough.

"Yeah?" Ana said with a tone that gave an impression that it was the obvious choice for a name.

"But it's black," I said.

"So? It's a little more creative than just calling it 'rifle.'" she placed Orange on the ground, barrel pointed downward. "Anyway, are you wanting to get in to Tenpenny Tower or not?"

I crossed my arms and let my skeptical gears turn. "Yeah, but how are you going to get us in there? I'm not entirely opposed to the idea of walking through sewer pipes if that's what we have to do."

"Well, I live here, so we can just walk in the front door. I mean, I can get you in, but not your friend there, they have it out for him," she said as she turned on her heel and walked to the other side of the wall.

"Or we can just do that," I said as I began to follow but turned around and to face Josef while still walking. "Sorry, man. I guess you're sitting this one out."

Josef sat next to the wall and waved me off. "It's fine, it's fine. Trust me, there'd be too much trouble if I get in there."

I rounded the corner where Ana was already talking to Gustavo. "C'mon pull the stick out of your ass, it's just one person, Chief," she explained.

"Look, Mr. Tenpenny was very clear about the rules..."

"Please?" she said as she tried to sound as miserable as possible. "It's just for tonight," she whispered into the intercom.

"Really?" I said quietly. She just waved her hand down to keep me quiet.

"Oh God..." Gustavo said with a sigh. A loud beep sounded and the gates began to clatter and open. He walked around the front and leaned against the wall. "Just get out of my hair."

"Eh, you don't have much anyways," I said to Gustavo as Ana led me by my hand into the courtyard. Gustavo ran a hand over his head and returned to his position with a grunt.

There were another five or six guards that wore outfits similar to Gustavo's and all of them eyed me suspiciously. A few beds were placed haphazardly in the corner of the courtyard, and a line of lockers sat next to the wall.

Ana led me around the fountain in the middle of the area, which was cracked on the foundation, and towards the golden doors of Tenpenny Tower.

"Hey, before we go in..." Ana said as she turned around suddenly. "Why are you here, anyway? You're not here for a job, or just to look around are you?"

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not say just yet. I still don't know if I can trust you. No offense."

"Fair enough, but later, okay?" she said as she pushed the doors open.

The entrance room was absolutely magnificent in comparison to the rest of the wasteland. Sure, the paint was chipping off the walls, and the air smelled as stale as two-hundred-year-old vaults do, but it was a sight to see nonetheless. The pillars, which I think were marble, were coated in dust, but only the first few. The rest were completely spotless, as was the floor and the rest of the room. The whole tower was, really.

"C'mon, let's go upstairs, to my room. We can talk there."

"Why's this place so empty? Where is everyone?" I asked, still suspicious.

"I imagine they're eating. It's about that time around here, and come to think of it, I might end up skipping the whole thing now." Ana said as we walked up the stairs, across the small balcony, and into another stairwell. "It's better this way, not as many people will see you and me."

We stepped out of the stairwell and into the upper floor room. It wasn't as grand as the entrance room since you could tell there hadn't been as much maintenance done on the upper floors. It was definitely showing its age.

Ana took a key that was hanging around her neck and put it into the locked door. A twist and a click and the door were open. "Make yourself at home, I guess. But if that Vault thing had any truth to it, then this won't really compare."

"It's fine, I appreciate the gesture," I said as entered the room and looked around. I had somehow expected Ana's room to be extravagant given the place she lived, but it wasn't. It was drab, clean, organized, kind of like Vault 101 apartments. There wasn't a lot of decoration on the walls or really that much furniture. One bed, a rug, a table and chair set, and terminal occupied the room and left a bit of empty space available. She apparently had a thing for guns, since there were about seven different types hanging on a rack on the wall.

"Alright. Time to fess up. You're here about Mr. Burke, aren't you?" Ana said sternly. She locked the door behind her and hung the key back around her neck.

I was caught completely off guard. "I…Uh...I don't...Who is that?" I said nervously. My pace quickened to a quick flutter. " _Great job, Paul. You just walked yourself into a trap, didn't you?"_ I thought to myself.

Ana set Orange down on the table and sat in the chair next to it. She brushed her hair out of her face, leaned forward and put her hand on her chin. "Really? You mean you don't know the guy who is almost six hours late, who I imagine is probably going to be even later? You didn't know the guy who sat on his ass in Megaton trying to find someone who would do his nefarious deeds for him? Well! I'm quite mistaken, then."

"That's right."

Ana chuckled. "So all of those Megaton people are just mistaken? Their sheriff isn't dead, there isn't a guy that fell from the top of the town's walkways, and there wasn't a dark haired kid from Vault 101 that fought tooth and nail with that very same man?" she said as her words struck with pinpoint accuracy. "God, and I thought the people around here were crazy."

I started to reach for my little pistol, fully aware that she could blast me apart with Orange, but I wanted to try anyways. "So what if that was me?"

Ana stood from her chair and walked over to me, not a weapon in her hands and looked me directly in the face. "Then I would say that you did the right thing and that they're welcome in my home. Is that any reason to get your little pea-shooter out and pop a cap in my ass?"

I relaxed a little and took my hand away from my side. "How did you know?" I asked skeptically.

"Well, I was actually in town, and there to do the very thing you accomplished. Thanks, by the way. I didn't want to cover up the kill. I would've had to get him outside the gates and then drag his body away so the guards around here wouldn't..."

"You were watching?"

"Ding, ding, ding! Correct!" she clapped her hands.

Ana went over to her terminal and began typing something at an incredulous speed while I stood dumbfounded.

"But you live here," I stated.

"That I do," she said with only a slight interruption to her typing speed.

"Why would you want to kill one of your own? I thought the law of the wasteland was to take care of your own?" I leaned against the wall next to her.

"It is," she said as she gave one last press of the enter key on the terminal. "But if you ask me, sometimes taking care of your own means taking out one of your own, even if you don't want to."

"The fuck?" I said, unsettled by her nonchalant nature. It was similar to Josef. Did no one care about killing in the wasteland?

"Look don't get me wrong, he was one of our own, he's even been here as long as I have been here, but that doesn't make his actions okay. I even tried to convince him that he needed to stop, but he wouldn't have it. It was always," she lowered her voice into a sinister sounding sneer, "Mr. Tenpenny is to be obeyed, Miss Robinson. I am in no place to argue."

"So this Tenpenny is the one who caused this," I said as I clenched my fists. "Mr. Burke was just listening to him."

"Perhaps, but I would say that Mr. Burke is just as guilty," she said as the terminal let out a sharp ding. "He may have been just following orders, but that doesn't change the fact that he was going to hire someone to blow up a town. He was bent on killing people, and that is something I couldn't just let happen. He couldn't think for himself, much like you I'd say." she slid back from the desk and went over to her gun rack. She looked over the weapons and selected a shotgun. She set it down on the table and began to inspect several parts on it. "If you really did come from that vault, then they probably programmed you pretty well."

"Yeah...I guess they..." I trailed off "Wait, what? I have not been programmed. Hell, I gave them half the trouble there was down there. I was the worst thing down there!"

"That's not something to be proud of," she said as she took a cloth and cleaned the outside of the shotgun barrel. "Thinking for yourself doesn't mean stirring up trouble, it means doing what is right, even if someone higher than you is telling you to do something horrible. Being a troublemaker doesn't count."

Ana had me pegged. I had never been one to follow rules, but it wasn't that I had some noble motive or was doing something for the greater good. I just wanted to mess around, cause trouble in spite of authority.

I mean, I didn't always look out for me alone. I helped a few sick people in my father's office despite it being past curfew, and then there was the day of the G.O.A.T. where I fought the Tunnel Snakes (rule) because they wouldn't leave Amata alone. I got in trouble for both of those things, but I sure as hell didn't care. I was always in trouble, and they couldn't offer me any more reason to obey other than because they said so.

Ana took the shotgun and hung it back on the wall. "Judging by your blank stare, you've just reevaluated all the things that they told you in the vault. Good, that's good. Just remember that out here, you don't need to go looking for a fight, just keep people safe if you can." Ana unlocked the door and pushed it open, then leaned in the doorway. "C'mon, let's go see Mr. Tenpenny."

Ana and I stepped into the elevator and rode it all the way to the top floor. A ding sounded and the doors creaked open. This room was quite similar to the corridor where Ana's room was located but had many more decorations. There were paintings, plants and a nice carpet covering the floor. The air didn't smell any cleaner than anywhere else.

"Hey, listen." Ana grabbed my arm and stopped me. "I can't go in there with you."

I tried to pull away. "Why, is this where the trap is?"

"No, I just..." she let go of me and stepped back, "I just can't be up here. I'll head downstairs and outside with Josef, okay." She pressed the button on the wall and opened the elevator door again. "Meet me there when you're done talking with Mr. Tenpenny."

"Wait-" I tried to say before the doors closed and left me in an empty corridor. There was a man sitting in front of the door that led into Tenpenny's penthouse who had seen me as I stepped around the corner.

"Hang on, sir, no one's allowed up here. You need to leave, now," he said as he pressed his hand against my chest.

"Easy, easy," I said as I slowly moved his hand away. "I'm here to see Mr. Tenpenny about some," I leaned a little closer and shifted my eyes back and forth, "special business."

"Mr. Tenpenny isn't taking callers." the guard said firmly as he pushed me back.

"Okay, you got it, I'll leave." I raised my hands in a surrender. "But just do me a favor. When Mr. Tenpenny asks for me later, please explain to him why YOU turned his employee away and made his, _ahem_ , special job take even longer than it already has, considering I ran into a little bit of unexpected trouble on the way back."

The guard coughed a little sheepishly. "And, uh, what trouble do you mean? What happened?"

"Oh, nothing, just a whole horde of mole rats. Nearly took my head off, but I survived nonetheless. Why I might just have to charge Mr. Tenpenny double!" I laughed boisterously. "Mr. Burke should be along shortly, though. He had a bit of unfinished business in Megaton." I explained in a very pretentious fashion. The guard hurried to open the door and ushered me in without another word.

I had thought that the rest of the tower was a bit uppity in contrast to Megaton, but Tenpenny's penthouse was on another level. There were all kinds of souvenirs and knick-knacks displayed on every inch of the wall. The furniture was pristine and spotless, but they clashed with the drapes, to be honest. I didn't really have the time to admire this man's home, though. I was there to kill the bastard.

I shifted around the walls, sticking to the shadows and checking every corner for Tenpenny, but he was nowhere to be found. He wasn't in his bedroom, he wasn't in the game room, his small kitchen, or even the study, though he had been there recently.

I sat down in the leather chair, scooted up to his desk and turned on the lamp. There was quite an assortment of papers strewn about, but none seemed to detail anything about his plans for Megaton. The desk was covered in various types of nonsensical memoirs filled with misspellings and fragmentary passages and notices that were to be delivered to the residents of Tenpenny Tower. One was even addressed to Ana: an eviction.

I know that it was a bit intrusive, but I read the eviction notice. I thought that perhaps it would give me some insight to the type of person she was. It did continue the tradition of Tenpenny's other writings by being almost indiscernible, so I will paraphrase.

 _Dear Ms. Robinson,_

 _It is had been brought to my attention by an unnamed source that a change has occurred in your life. Due to the aforementioned change, I regret to inform you that you will be evicted from Tenpenny Tower on September 15, 2277. The rules are very clear, Ms. Robinson, and we hold no ill-will to you, but they must be upheld, even in cases such as yours. I personally wish you success in your future endeavors and will hope for your safety upon your departure._

 _~Alistair Tenpenny_

 _"Why is he kicking her out? What change has occurred?"_ I said to myself as I folded the paper up and placed it back on the desk. I didn't really have much time to wonder about her character at that moment. I needed to keep looking.

I continued to look in the drawers and in the stacks of papers sitting in the study, but none were that important, at least, not to me. One form did catch my eye, though. It was printed on what looked to be very expensive stationary, with some strange seal in the top-center of the page. Whoever the form belonged to had entrusted Tenpenny with the job of transporting some type of canisters, which he would have most likely hired some mercenaries to do in his stead. It was signed at the bottom with an extravagantly crafted script reading "G.R."

 _"I imagine Gustavo doesn't know about this, or he would've hired Josef to this. Maybe Alistair will talk."_ I thought as I turned the lamp off and left the study to find Tenpenny.

Suddenly, I heard a loud bang and slid directly into the corner, pistol ready. I stood and waited in silence for someone to pass by my position, but no one did. There were no sounds of footsteps either, just another loud bang. It seemed to be coming from outside the double doors that were opposite of my position.

"Oh shit," I said under my breath. "Josef." I bolted to the doors and pushed them open, and I felt that familiar heat of the wasteland and the smell assaulted my nostrils. It was dark out now, the sun nearly under the horizon.

"Oh my!" an almost stereotypical English accented voice exclaimed as I stumbled around while my eyes adjusted. "Why, what's the rush, my dear boy?" he asked.

A man, clearly getting on in years was standing on the ledge of the balcony which I had found myself on. He was dressed in the most expensive red suit I have ever laid my eyes on, and was holding a similarly expensive rifle.

"Well?" the old man asked kindly. "Speak up, but do so loudly, as I am going a bit deaf in my old age."

"You're Mr. Tenpenny, correct?" I inquired as I tried to regain my composure.

"Yes, Indeed I am!" he gave a slight bow. "But might I ask with whom I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"My name is Paul, sir. Your associate, Mr. Burke, hired me to take care of the job in Megaton. He sent me along while he finished up a few things."

"Ah! I was beginning to wonder what was taking him so long. You must be tired from the journey over here, please, sit, have a drink." he motioned to a chair opposite of his, on the left of the archway.

I felt my hands begin to shake again. The thought that I was dealing with the man who had ordered the senseless slaughter of so many innocent lives was getting to me. I was terrified, to be honest, but I tried to play it cool. "If...If it's all the same to you, sir, I would like to keep this meeting short. I must attend to, uh, other matters. Oh, and might I ask what it is that you are using that rifle for? If I'm not being intrusive?"

Tenpenny sat down in his chair carefully. "A fellow hunter are we?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Wasteland safari!" he exclaimed. "I do love hunting as the sun sets. The most interesting creatures find their way out as the sun finds its way in. Enough about my hobbies, though. We must talk business."

"Indeed," I said while I tried to calm my heart.

"Now I assume you know all the sordid details of this whole affair?" Alistair said as he reached for a briefcase next to his chair. "It truly does my heart good to see young people taking an interest in the future of humanity." Tenpenny opened the briefcase and frowned. "Oh bother, this is the wrong one." He stood from his chair and leaned his sniper rifle against it. "Come with me, the correct one must be in my study," he said as he passed by me and headed to the doors.

"Hold on," I said as I grabbed his coat by the collar while my hands continued to fidget. "You ordered the death of all of the people of Megaton, didn't you?" I asked with grim authority.

"Yes. I did, but you must understand, it is for the good of..."

That was all I needed; no more of this "good of humanity" nonsense. I threw a punch directly at Alistair's jaw, which apparently enough to take him down as he went limp and fell to the ground. He was still completely alive, though unconscious. I drew my junk pistol from my side and aimed it at Tenpenny's forehead, and was about to pull the trigger when I stopped.

 _"Hang on. What if someone hears the difference in the gunshot sound?"_ I thought as I lowered my gun. I looked behind me at Alistair Tenpenny's sniper rifle.

"He did say that it was his hobby. They must be used to hearing that noise at night." I muttered as I picked up the rifle and awkwardly handled it. It was the first time I had ever held a rifle of that caliber.

I held the rifle up and pointed it at Tenpenny, but stopped again. What the hell was I about to do? I was about to gun down an old man in his own home, even if he did try to kill so many others. Was I really doing the right thing, or was I just as bad?

 _"I guess it's like Josef said. There is no right and wrong in the wasteland, there is only survival, and this is how we survive."_ I concluded as I pulled the trigger, painting the wall with Alistair Tenpenny's head. The rifle nearly jumped out of my hands, and almost knocked me off balance. A bit of blood splattered in my direction, but with all of the dirt and grime already on my clothes, it wasn't going to be noticeable anyway.

I hadn't given it much thought before I pulled the trigger, but I suddenly had an epiphany. Eventually, someone was going to come up there and find out that I had killed the owner, then come looking for me. I needed to get Josef, maybe Ana since she was involved in that, and leave right away.

I dropped the gun and rushed back inside, chills running up my spine. I exited the penthouse and made a beeline for the elevator. Down I went to the bottom floor and out into the courtyard again. I ignored the guards and motioned to Gustavo that I was ready to leave, and he opened the gates so I could reach Josef, who was sitting where I had left him earlier and was now joined by Ana.

"Hey, both of you," I said in a hushed tone as Josef rose from the ground.

"Well, that took forever." he said as he stretched.

"Yeah, what'd you do, stop in for a spot of tea? Do you get it? His accent is totally fake by the way." Ana added.

"Listen, that's not important right now. I...I killed him!" I said as they both showed no reaction whatsoever.

Silence.

"Yeah. That was the whole point, wasn't it?" Ana said sarcastically.

"It wasn't like this was a social call," Josef interjected. "We came to fuck him up for fucking with us..."

"But," I interrupted, "What if someone finds out? They'll be coming after us soon!"

"That's not likely," Ana said. "No one is allowed to go inside Mr. Tenpenny's penthouse unless they are invited in. Most of the time, we'll only see him once or twice a week, and only for a few minutes."

"Really?" Josef asked, undoubtedly surprised. "What kind of guy is he, or, was he? How did Paulie here get to him, too?"

"Tenpenny was the old and rich kind of guy, and I imagine Paul got in there because the guard standing outside the penthouse was a rookie. Gustavo or some of the other guys would've sent your pampered vault ass packing."

"Pampered? Coming from the girl who lives in a pre-war, five-star hotel?" I replied.

"When did you first think about clean water? Last week?"

"Point taken."

"Damn. Burn."

"Shut up, Jo. Anyway, what do we do now, since apparently no one is going to find out, or at least, they won't anytime soon?"

"I don't know what you two are doing, but I'm going back inside," Ana said as began to walk away. "See you tomorrow, if you decide to stick around." she laughed as she went back into the courtyard around the corner.

Josef and I stood in silence. Could we really trust this girl?

The sun had set completely, and I was absolutely exhausted from the day.

"So, you up for a bit of camping?" I asked Josef cheerily. "I've heard they used to do it before the war! It sounded like fun when I heard about it."

"Yeah, but they didn't have any overgrown roaches and mutant chameleons to worry about."

I nudged him with my elbow and put on a wide grin. "C'mon, it'll be fun!"

Josef sighed. "Alright. I don't feel like riding back to Megaton anyways, and it's not like I'm a stranger to sleeping on the ground. Just don't make a bunch of noise when a family of bloat flies decides to move into your head."

I did just that, under the stars and beside a concrete wall. It wasn't the most comfortable of all places, but it was okay once I worked a groove in the dirt. Josef took the first shift of the night watch and I would take the second.

I had nightmares, though. I had them about Dad, about Amata, and Vault 101. I had them about the Overseer, Burke, Tenpenny, and all the people I had killed up to that point. Were there more people involved in all of this, or was it just Burke and Tenpenny? I didn't want to kill any more people, even if it was the only way to stop them. What was the other job that they needed mercenaries for, and what were they transporting?


	7. A Guardian Angel

Chapter Seven

 _A Guardian Angel_

 _\- August 30, 2277 -_

I must have drifted off to sleep during my shift because I awoke to the sound of a roaring, growl-like voice while the sun had been trying to peek over the horizon.

"Residents of Tenpenny Tower!" the voice bellowed. "You have been warned time and time again that you should not push me, nor my allies! We have begged, we have pleaded, we have demanded, and yet you still deny us entry into your settlement!"

I heard the guards ready their rifles on the other side of the walls and stomp into what I believed to be a formation as the voice stopped shouting for only a moment. Chief Gustavo had rattled off a few orders to his men as I shook Josef, who was still snoring, to rouse him from his sleep.

"Hey, man, wake up!" I said quietly as I continued to shake him.

Josef snorted and then shot right up, and drew his pistol directly from his side and aimed it behind me in one fluid motion.

"Holy crap! I shouted as I rolled over to the wall and turned around to see what he was aiming at. There was nothing. "Wh-what are you aiming at?"

Josef lowered his arm and then rubbed his eye with his fist. "Nothing, I guess." he yawned, "It's just a reaction. Forget it. What's going...?"

The voice began to shout again. "Due to your inaction, your _resistance_ to help those in need, you have one hour to evacuate, or else you will pay with your lives!" he threatened.

"Bring it, zombie!" one of the guards on the other side of the wall taunted.

"Just you? Ha!" another one laughed.

"Quiet, men!" Chief Gustavo commanded. "Roy!" he yelled. "If you do this, then you will be declaring war on Mr. Tenpenny himself! Do you really want that?"

Roy laughed loudly. "Do I want that? Ask me again when I have the old fuck's head hanging above his fireplace with me in his easy chair! Take my warning and leave!" he concluded.

I sat, still spooked by the sudden booming voice that interrupted my slumber. I had just heard a man declare war on a settlement, and all by himself to boot.

"C'mon, Paul," Josef said as he got to his feet. "We're going to find Ana."

"Why her?" I asked.

"Because I like her ass," he replied. "Not really. Well, it's mostly true, but that's not important. She might know what's going on." he said as we moved towards the front gate.

"Hey, Gustavo!" I yelled as I pressed my face against the bars. "Come here!"

He hardly even turned around.

"C'mon you..." I muttered. "Listen, we can take care of that Roy guy if you let us in there!" I called out.

"No thanks, kid. Why should I let you in before you do anything? If you take him out, then I'll have a chat with Mr. Tenpenny the first chance I get about letting you in." he explained coolly.

"Eh, that doesn't seem to be working, Paul," Josef said from behind me. "Why don't you try something else? Be persuasive."

I mustered up the courage to try again. "Look, I get that he's a ghoul, and they have a habit of losing their minds," I began, "but that can't be just an empty threat! He has to have some way of backing up all that talk, and if he does, you may need a few more people on your side!"

"I have plenty of able-bodied fighters on my side, thanks." hey retorted.

"A bunch of aristocrats that hardly know how to make a fist count as able-bodied fighters? I don't doubt that your guards here are competent, but what if Roy has you outnumbered ten to one? Do you really want to take that chance?" I shouted as I pulled on the bars.

"Chief Gustavo, sir." the guard who had been stationed outside Tenpenny's room the night before interjected. "That is the man who went to see Mr. Tenpenny last night. He is an employee of Mr. Burke. I can vouch for him."

Gustavo looked at the guard, then to me. He shook his head, walked over to the left of the gateway, and pressed the button to let me in. "Alright, if Mr. Tenpenny trusts you, then you can come in, but you better be some damn fine help," Gustavo warned.

"So, what about me?" Josef inquired. "I'm with him."

"You listen to me," Gustavo growled. "I'm going to make myself clear," he stuck his finger out to me, "We don't need your type anymore, and we won't come looking for your help again. It was a mistake to do so, to begin with." the chief explained. "You can be glad you're in connection with him, or you'd never get in here. After today, though, I don't want to see your mug on this tower ever again. Understand?"

Josef broke his carefree demeanor once again. "I'm not like I was, Gustavo, but you have a deal anyway," he said as he passed him by and patted him on the shoulder.

"So are you sure..." I began.

"Drop it, okay?" Josef said curtly.

"Yeah, alright," I replied. "Let's hurry," I said as I began to jog across the courtyard and into the tower.

The foyer was filled with residents of Tenpenny Tower as they looked about worriedly. They must have heard Roy's rant from inside their rooms, and fear had already begun to take root in them. I looked across the crowd for Ana, but she wasn't around.

"She must be in her room. It's upstairs." I said as I tried to push through the crowd. All eyes were on Josef and me as we reached the stairs and began to move up to the next floor.

"So you went into her room, huh?" Josef said as we reached the stairwell. "I guess I should be jealous."

"Well if you want to be jealous of getting locked in a windowless room and coming face to face with a gun that could blast you in two."

"Eh," he shrugged, "It wouldn't be the first time for me."

"What kind of life have you lived?" I said, exasperated.

"A crazy one, my friend. A crazy one. And isn't that basically the story of your vault escape, too?" he said as we exited the stairwell and approached Ana's room.

"More or less," I replied while I knocked on the door. "Ana? It's Paul and Josef! Let us in! We don't have much time!" She didn't respond for a few moments so I knocked again.

"I'm getting dressed, jackass!" she yelled from the other side of the door. "Give me a second!" A few more moments passed and the door swung open, revealing a once organized room that looked like a twister had rampaged through it.

"Umm...this a bad time?" Josef said as he peered into the room, then smirked.

"Not at all," Ana shook her head and brushed her hair out of her face, "In fact, I was hoping you two were still around. Gustavo isn't ready for what's about to happen."

"It's just going to be a couple of people, right?" I asked. "I mean, I told Chief Gustavo that it would be more just to get in."

"You were right about there being more, though," Ana said as she pulled a 10mm submachine gun off the rack on the wall and handed it to Josef. "Here, you might like this one a little better. It's better than that little pistol."

"No kidding," he said as he took it from her. "I haven't had one of these in a while. Feels good, natural, somehow."

Ana didn't reply but returned to the gun rack and pulled the same shotgun she had been cleaning the night before. "Roy is not bluffing. I've been down to the tunnels he's living in, and it's bad. Really bad. Ghouls everywhere."

"How many?" Josef said as he narrowed his eyes.

"I want to say all of them. All of the ghouls."

"Well," I interjected, "Shit."

"Yeah. I know what Gustavo's thinking, too." Ana opened a small box and began loading the shotgun. "We'll just hide behind our walls and kill them all, easy-peasy. It's not going to be, though. There's enough to swarm the front gate and tear it down before we even get them all under control. I don't even know how he plans on doing that anyway. There's not enough room at the gate for more than two people." Ana handed me a container of shotgun shells and the combat shotgun. "Here, you're going to need this. You ought to like it. It's tons of fun at close range."

I held the shotgun in my hands. It was much heavier than I had initially thought, probably due in part to it being loaded. "I'm not a very good shot, though."

"You don't have to be," Josef said as he fiddled with a button on his jacket. "Just point and shoot at anything close to you. Buckshot."

"Alright," I said a bit unsurely.

"You two head downstairs. I'm going to be set up in one of these windows." Ana explained while she hoisted Orange up and exited the room. "Watch your heads!"

Josef and I returned to the foyer and went to the courtyard. Gustavo had a few of his men placed throughout the courtyard, and a few out in front of the gates. Josef and I joined the men in front of the gates and steeled ourselves for the coming battle.

"How much time we got, Paul?" Josef asked.

I looked down to the clock on my Pip-Boy. "Ten minutes. Nine." I said.

"Are you ready? You haven't fought ghouls yet, and they're a bit different than raiders and rad roaches," he explained as he swiped at a fly. "They don't care that you just shot them in the leg. They keep running at you."

"We were going to find some before all this Tenpenny Tower mess, right? So you could show me how to deal with them?" I asked.

"Yeah," Josef replied. "Too bad they found us first."

The time was drawing near, the air thickened with tension. Everyone held their breaths as we waited for the shoe to drop.

Ten.

Nine.

Eight.

Seven.

I held my shotgun to the horizon.

Six.

Five.

Josef coughed and scared me half to death.

Four.

Three.

Two.

Chief Gustavo shouted a few last orders to all of us.

One.

We stood firmly, ready for an onslaught. There was a slight rumble, and we thought that the time had arrived, but not one ghoul appeared.

"Where are they?" one of the guards shouted.

"Maybe they're late?" another one answered.

A few more minutes passed, and there was little activity. A few wastelanders passing by in the distance waved to us and then continued on their path.

"Paul, I don't like this," Josef said, his nervousness apparent in his voice. "Something's not right. Ghouls don't sneak, they run and scream. They're not coming this way." Josef turned around. "Hey, Chief!" he called out. "There aren't any other way they can come through, right."

"Not unless ghouls can jump higher or dig deeper than I thought," Gustavo said. "Where the hell are they?" he muttered.

I began looking around the area, but there was nothing but howling winds and blowing dust. There were no feral mutated men roaring and sprinting at us with reckless abandon.

My search was interrupted by an ear-piercing scream that burst from the doors of Tenpenny Tower as one of the residents stumbled out with blood already on her dress.

"There's...The ghouls are inside!" she screamed frantically through tears. "They're in the tower! They came from the basement!"

Gustavo's eyes widened and he sprinted to the doors with his rifle held ready. Josef, the other guards that had been stationed outside the gates, and I all crowded the gateway, re-entered the courtyard and followed Gustavo into the tower.

"Looks like they learned to dig, Chief!" I yelled over the commotion.

"Looks that way!" Gustavo shouted back. "Follow me, men! Shoot on sight, but check your fire, there are civilians inside" he commanded as he kicked the door open. There had been a ghoul just on the other side of the door and had now been launched backward. The Chief began firing into the now darkened foyer, the only light from the sunlight that seeped in and from the muzzle flashes of his rifle. The power must have been out.

Josef and I entered behind the rest of the guards and were met with a gruesome scene. When there was enough light to see, it was revealed that one of the residents had already met an untimely end at the grinning teeth of a ghoul. There was barely enough left of him to call a person. It was then that I learned how quickly ghouls work when in large groups.

"Kill them all!" one guard roared as he smashed a ghoul in the back of the head with his rifle then stomped it.

Josef aimed his submachine gun at two ferals and unleashed a hail of bullets on them as they turned and sprinted at them. Blood ran down their bodies and onto the floor but they didn't even seem to notice. He didn't flinch a bit as one lunged at him, but he simply sidestepped it and let it fall to the ground behind him. He fired into the other one's head and let it collapse at his feet while the other stumbled up to its feet. The ghoul leaped at him, arms outstretched and ready to take a bite of his flesh, but its flight was cut short with a submachine gun to the face and a kick in the head.

Meanwhile, I ran and jumped over the front desk and landed directly on a ghoul that had been clawing its way toward me. I pointed my shotgun at the mutated man and pulled the trigger. The loudest bang I had ever heard in my life rang out as the ghoul's head turned to a bloody paste. I was still in shock from the sudden wave of gore that erupted from the downed feral when another rushed from the darkness and tackled me to the ground.

It tried to claw at my face with its jagged, untrimmed fingernails while I pushed it away. The feral screeched at me with an ear-piercing howl, its jaw unnaturally open, or maybe it only seemed that way because of the lack of non-rotten flesh on its body. I threw a punch at the ghoul, knocking it off balance, and proceeding to make it angrier. The feral opened its mouth wide and tried to take a bite out of my arm, but it was stopped by a shot from one of the security guards.

I pushed the dead ghoul off me and stood back up. My shotgun was lying only a few feet from me, but the ghoul who was standing over it was about to charge at Josef, who had his back turned. I ran and slid into its legs and knocked it to the ground. I grabbed the shotgun, spun around and fired at the monster, which ended its agonizing existence.

Josef grabbed my hand and hoisted me to my feet.

"Thanks. You good, man?" he asked as grabbed me by the shoulder and shook me. "I saw you fighting that one over there?" he said as we both crouched down to avoid the bullets speeding by. "You looked pretty dazed."

"Yeah I..." I breathed out heavily. "Ugh, they're just REALLY naked," I said with a shudder.

"Tell me about it." he chuckled as Gustavo shouted for us to keep fighting to the other rooms.

Josef and I ran down a darkened hallway next to the stairway that led to the balcony, my Pip-Boy light guiding the way. We unleashed the wrath of man's machines on each and every ghoul that stood in our way. The hallway was covered in blood splatters once we reached the room on the other side. An Asian man dressed in some very nice clothing was huddled underneath a desk.

"My shop! My clothes!" he shouted as we helped him out from under the chair.

"That's not important right now, we're getting you out of here!" Josef shouted as he almost dragged the man down the hall. "Paul, you check out his store! Save a shirt or something!"

"What about if there are people?" I called back.

"Eh, go ahead and get them I guess!" he yelled as he shot down a ghoul that jumped from the corner. He dragged the distraught shopkeeper from the building as I sprinted back to the foyer and down another hallway.

There were so many ghouls in the rooms and hallways of Tenpenny Tower. Looking from the front entrance, I went to the right, which led me to a room that split two ways, so I made a left into a place that was labeled, "New Urban Apparel," which I assumed was the man's shop. A few ghouls were loitering about in the room, sniffing the clothing and searching for their next meal. Both ferals locked their furious gaze on me lunged. I shot one of them directly in the chest, sending him backward to the ground and managed to hit the other one's leg. It burst into nothing but blood and bone and left the abomination with only a stump. The damn thing continued to crawl towards me, so I kicked it directly in the face, which allowed it to chomp down on my boot. His teeth were not sharp enough to pierce the leather, so it wasn't really that much a threat. I sighed and slammed his head with my shotgun and put him out of commission.

I'm not going to judge the shop owner, but most of the clothing in New Urban Apparel was going to attract all the worst kinds of people in the wasteland. There were suits and fancy hats, all in various colors. I couldn't very well carry a full suit, I needed something light and easy to hold, or even wear. I moved some clothes around until I came across a red Hawaiian shirt. I removed the blue vest I had been wearing, put on the shirt, and slid the vest back on. Sure it was tacky, but fashion isn't the most important thing when fighting a zombie infestation.

I left New Urban Apparel and ran to the room across from it, the Federalist Lounge. There was a protectron standing behind the bar, and it was still only interested in serving drinks. Otherwise, the room was empty of everything but potential. I maneuvered behind the protectron to the terminal corner and logged on. There were a few settings such as shut down, rest mode, restore to factory settings, load custom A.I. and "begin security protocols."

I grinned as I selected "begin security protocols."

I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting the not-so-limber protectron to do. Maybe I expected it to run faster than I can walk? It didn't exactly do that. It planted one foot slowly in front of the other with steadiness and heaviness.

"ZRT! BEGINNING SECURITY PROTOCOLS." it said as it began heading for the door. "ALL NON-COMBATANTS, PLEASE EVACUATE THE AREA."

I rushed around it, leaped between the space left between the robot and the doorframe and returned to the lobby. Josef had re-entered the building and was fending off a ghoul. The zombie only seemed interested in the lab-coat wearing man huddled on the ground behind Josef, but he would never get the chance to taste his meaty flesh, as he was no match for Josef.

"Oh, hey!" Josef said to me as the ghoul crumpled to the floor. "How's it going?" he shielded his eyes a bit while he looked back to the front door. He ushered the doctor away and watched him run outside. "Wow, I really need to get one of those," he said as he pointed to my Pip-Boy. "The light on it would've made fighting off ghouls a little easier since I would be able to see beyond the flashes from my gun."

Bright, red laser beams flashed through the foyer at ghouls hiding in the shadows. The thundering footsteps of the protectron, Shakes, grew louder as he broke into a sort of run and crashed into a ghoul and flattened it beneath his weight.

"Where the hell did that thing come from?" Josef said as he leaped behind a pillar and aimed his submachine gun at Shakes.

"Easy, he's on our side!" I said as I pushed his gun away. "I figured we could let him clean up the rest of them, you know, take our place while we go upstairs with Ana. I wonder if she knows how to stop all the," a red beam screamed across the room and left a scorch mark on the wall it struck, "chaos down here. She seems to know a whole lot about what's going on anyway." I explained.

"Good point, let's go," he said as we jogged towards the stairs. "Ha, look at me! Protecting the people!" he said with a hint of dread as we crossed the balcony.

"Is something wrong?" I asked. "You've been giving off weird vibes since we got here, saying suspicious things," I said as we headed up the next stairwell

"Yeah, I guess I have but don't worry about it," he said dismissively. "I've been all over the place, done all kinds of different jobs, so we're bound to visit some of those places while we look for your dad," Josef said as we entered the dark corridor where a few residents huddled together in the shadows.

"Come on!" a lively old man shouted. "We need to take back our home from this infestation! I, Herbert Daring Dashwood, need your help! You do believe in me, don't you?"

Not a person stirred. I recognized the man's name from some of the radio broadcasts that I had picked up in Megaton, even if the transmissions were about eighty percent static.

"No offense, Herbert, but you're getting on in years, and I think those ghouls are a bit too spry. Shouldn't we just allow the guards handle the situation?" a blonde-haired woman advised old Herbert. "I've never even met a ghoul in person, and I don't think the ones we're dealing with are anything like the one you knew."

"Nonsense!" Dashwood said heroically as Josef and I tried to approach the group. Herbert turned, looked us over and his eyes lit up. "Look here! These two must have been down there fighting, and we don't even know them, and they don't know us! All the more reason we should fight for our fellow citizens!"

Josef raised his hand slightly. "If I could interrupt, Mr. Dashwood?"

"Of course!"

"Not to offend someone with a track record like yours, but," Josef paused for a moment, "But you don't stand a chance in hell against those zombies down there."

Herbert was taken aback. "What do you mean? I'm plenty capable of taking down a couple of..."

"Oh hush, Herbert, you sound like a damn fool." an elderly woman chastised. "Let the younger folk take care of this. Besides, Gustavo's got his own guardian angel watching over him. She wouldn't let anything happen."

"You wouldn't mean Ana, would you?" I piped up. "We need to speak to her. Do you know where she is?"

"You mean you didn't pass her?" the old woman said with a puzzled look. "She said she was heading down to the foyer to help out," she explained. "That girl, I swear she's going to get herself killed one of these days."

"Paul, we need to go, now," Josef said as he tugged on the back of my vest. "I have no idea how many were left down there, and she could be in trouble."

"The guards are down there, too, so she should be fine. Right?" I said as we headed back towards the stairs.

"Not if she got herself cornered. She's not a professional, she'll make mistakes," he said as we rapidly descended the stairwell. "She's kind of like you, Paulie-boy."

"Well, I won't argue that," I said as we burst through the doors and re-entered the main room. There were still hisses, the sound of lasers heating the air and bullets cluttering room with their noises.

"Shit..." Josef said as he sprinted into the dark.

"Hang on!"

We ran across the room and fought off the ghouls that tried to get in our way. It seemed like they were endless since every one we killed only seemed to bring another few.

 _"They have to be coming from somewhere."_ I thought to myself as we rounded a corner, entered a room corridor similar to the one between the Federalist Lounge and New Urban Apparel. We did a mental heads or tails and went into a small restaurant type room.

"Hey, Ana?! Are you in here?" I shouted into the black. I tried to maneuver my arm to light the room a bit better, and I was met with the remains of seven zombies without heads, all lying on the floor. I jumped, but only just a bit.

"Oh, how nice of you to join me," a voice said welcomingly from the back of the room. "I was just setting the tables when these fine gentlemen decided to pop in for a visit!" Ana mocked from behind the counter she had used as a hiding spot. "They got a bit rowdy so I had to take care of them."

I looked at the carnage displayed in the room, somewhat intimidated that Ana had fought off so many of them while I struggled with more than a couple. "So, um..." I began. "Everything okay down here? You're not hurt are you?"

She strolled along the counter and towards the corner. "Nothing too serious," Ana said as she waved her arm in the air to show off the torn sleeve and a few claw marks underneath. "Don't worry about it. Have you seen Roy Phillips?" she asked as she opened the refrigerator and took out a Nuka-Cola. She shook it at me to offer one, but I declined.

"No, we thought you might know where he is, or at least how to stop the ghouls from getting in," Josef said as he kept watch on the doorway.

"He's looking for ole' Mr. Tenpenny, who is no longer with us," she explained. "The moment the power comes back on, which it should any time now since the Chief's on the job, he's going to make a break for the top floor," Ana took a few sips of Nuka-Cola, "but he's not going to find a living Mr. Tenpenny, and then he's going to be in quite a predicament."

"Could you cut to the chase?" I said as I grew anxious.

"Alright. You need to be the next person on that elevator, or else you're going to be in trouble. You need to kill Roy and make it seem like you were only seconds away when he killed Tenpenny. He can take the fall for you, and then you walk away from a hero." she explained, her words obviously rushed together.

The lights flickered on and began to buzz quietly. I was about to comment on the absolute convolution of Ana's plot, but she cut me off.

"Go! Now! I'm going to close off the tunnels below the tower! The ferals are coming in from there!" she shouted as I turned and nearly fell over myself trying to get in motion. "Josef, you're with me!"

I sprinted to the foyer once again, which was now devoid of living ghouls even though Shakes was still in search of more foes, and headed for the elevator, which had only just closed. I felt my face turn pale. _"Roy had better be on that elevator, and not someone else."_ I thought as I waited patiently at the bottom. Ding. The elevator reached the bottom floor again and the metal doors creaked open.

While the doors closed in front of me, I got one last glimpse of the mess we had left throughout the tower. Blood was running down the walls and on the floor. _"Yuck."_ I thought as I realized I had just run through that mess, and helped cause it, while the elevator began its ascent. It smelled strange inside that small box, which I swear was ready to collapse. It was like they had tried to keep the thing smelling like pre-war, but it still held that familiar stink from the wasteland.

The elevator rattled, shook and slowed to a halt. Ding. I stepped out of the elevator and searched the corridor for Roy, who seemed to be missing. I ran towards Tenpenny's room, bypassed the guard on the floor who had been slaughtered by Roy no doubt, and carefully opened the door.

Still nothing.

I continued to walk through the room but was met with utter silence. It looked as if no one had disturbed the room yet, other than myself the day before. The papers on the desk in the study were still in the same places, the lamp was still off.

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my leg and I collapsed to the ground with a grunt. I dropped my shotgun on the floor and someone grabbed me by the hair and yanked my head back.

Roy took a deep breath and put his face next to mine. "So, it's you, huh?" he said while his growly voice shuddered. "I should've guessed that you would've been the one to get here before me. The way you looked yesterday. You had a purpose, kid, and a grim one at that." Roy slammed my face against the wall, threw me to the ground, then pulled his rifle over his shoulder and aimed it at me. "Why did you do it? Did he do wrong to you, too? I wouldn't put it past the old bastard since it seems that's all he can do. Screw with the wrong people, I mean."

I lay on the floor and stared deep into the barrel of the gun in front of me. I felt blood dripping from my nose. He could've pulled the trigger at any second, but he was too busy with his monolog.

Roy didn't break his foul sneer if you can even tell when someone who has a face more akin to burnt bacon is sneering. "You don't seem to be all bad, kid, you just picked the wrong side today. At least you had guts, unlike the people who live here."

"I don't need your respect." I hissed at the ghoul.

Roy laughed disappointedly and pulled the trigger. A few stray bullets hit near my feet, doing no more than scaring me. "Damn, it almost feels bad to kill someone with as much gumption as you. You did come all the way here to kill some old son of a bitch, after all," He said as he looked at me for an uncomfortable amount of time. "I've lived a long time, kid, and I've seen all kinds of people, some weak, some strong. Under which of those do you fall, I wonder?"

I didn't respond.

"You know, if I were sure you wouldn't just slit my throat in the night I would…"A loud boom rocked the room and Roy was knocked off his feet. Ana was standing in the hallway with smoke leaking from Orange's barrel.

"I thought you might need some help." she said as she lowered the gun.

I rolled along the floor and grabbed my shotgun. Roy was still hurling curses, some that I had never even heard before, and trying to get his assault rifle aimed either Ana or myself.

"Uh-oh," I said as I moved behind a part of the wall for cover. A hail of bullets rained down on the corner as I tried to peer around it. Ana had moved to a safer position in the hallway.

"You piece of shit! Shooting a man with his back turned!" Roy roared at Ana. "You die next, you bitch! Come here, I'll kill you now!"

I spun around the corner and leveled my shotgun at Roy, still situated on the floor with blood pooling around his leg. I yelled as I placed my finger on the trigger. He was too quick, though, and another few shots were fired at me. A cloud of dust and debris was sent into the air as many of his bullets collided right next to my position. I couldn't hope to match the precision of Roy, so I settled for the next best thing; the utter chaos of myself.

"All right, time's up! Let's do this!" I yelled as loud as I could. I whipped my shotgun around, then my body, and started to fire wildly in the general direction of where Roy last was situated. A few loud booms shook the room and I could here every shot connecting with either the furniture or the wall. Phillips was unable to discern what my plan was, but it was pretty effective.

"Damn smoothsk-" was all Roy was able to say before the thunder of my shotgun punctuated his insult. A blast decimated his face and set him flat on the ground. A crimson jet of liquid shot from his head and splattered on the floor and wall.

I waited a few moments while my heartbeat began to slow back to normal before offering a retort to his earlier inquiries. "You wonder if I'm weak or strong, huh?" I spat at the mess in front of me. "Take a guess," I said as I exited the room and moved into the hallway.

"To be fair," Ana began, "He was kicking your ass until I showed up."

"I thought I was doing pretty well considering he sneaked up on me."

Ana only raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.

"Thanks, I guess. I was in trouble there for a second." I said as the thundering of footsteps began to fill the room.

Gustavo and a few Tenpenny guards stormed the room with rifles ready shoot. They swept through the rooms and didn't even seem to notice us. They poked and prodded at the deceased Roy and declared him dead. It wasn't as if they couldn't tell that already, though.

One opened the door to the balcony and found Tenpenny just where I had left him the day before.

"Oh no…" the man said. "Chief. They got 'em."

"Dammit," Gustavo said as he lowered his rifle. He looked over at Ana and me. "You…Did you see what happened?"

"No," I replied. "I ran up here just after the lights came back on. I thought that Roy might be going after Mr. Tenpenny, so I followed him." I looked away in the most downtrodden way. "I was just a little too slow."

Gustavo signaled for his guards to begin moving the two bodies from the room. He watched as two guards carted Tenpenny from the room. A strange expression spread across his face, almost as if he had seen something that was a little bit off. He shook his head and mumbled something unintelligible then walked over to me.

"Thanks, kid. You were a pretty decent help." He looked around the room. "Even if you did destroy most everything in here. You and that mercenary friend of yours." Gustavo added as he slowly exited the room. "I'm sorry, Mr. Tenpenny, sir." He mumbled gloomily to himself as he went out of view and continued on to the elevator.

That marked the end of what I refer to as the Great Battle for Rich Bastard Tower.


	8. Afternoon on the Hillside

Chapter Eight

 _Afternoon on the Hillside_

 _-August 30, 2277 -_

Ana peered around the corner, holding her hand up to shush me without the iconic sound. A ding from the elevator sounded and the creaky doors opened and closed.

"And they're gone." She said. "See, my plan worked. They don't even know what happened yesterday."

"Yeah, for now at least," I added. "Speaking of plans, it's time you told me what's really going on here, isn't it?"

Ana looked somewhat offended. "What?" she said dumbly.

"You knew that there were a bunch of ghouls, you knew Roy was going to use them to attack and you knew that he wanted to get to Tenpenny, specifically." I listed. "Other than what Roy shouted this morning, how did you figure all of that out?"

Ana rubbed her neck. "Alright, you got me." She confessed. "Since you and I seem to have had similar interests these past two days, I'll let you know. Y'see, I kinda went down there, to the metro tunnels, I mean, last week. When you got here yesterday, that wasn't the first time Roy had been at the front gate trying to convince Gustavo to let him in, and he was getting sick of it. He wanted someone to help him, someone either unaffiliated or from the inside."

"So he got you?" I surmised.

"He thought he did." She shrugged.

"You had to have some reason for even considering going down there, though. Something made you want to hear them out, unlike the rest of the people around here." I pressed. "Is it related to why Tenpenny was going to kick you out?"

Ana's face turned pale, and a look of anger erupted on her visage. "Where did you hear about that?" she demanded angrily and stomped her foot. "Tell me!"

"Easy!" I said as I raised my hands in the air, "I read it in a letter that was in Alistair's study last night. It didn't say what for, but I assumed it must be pretty serious for them to through you out. Everyone else around here really likes you, I think."

"That's it?" she demanded to know. "That's all you know?"

"Yeah, that's it. Why does it matter so much?" I asked.

There was no response from Ana as her eyes traced around the room.

"You didn't kill anyone, did you?" I worriedly asked.

She narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "No. Nothing like that, but it's...important. Mr. Tenpenny has, well, _had_ a strict set of rules here, and I broke one. It wasn't on purpose, but I broke one, and he wanted me out."

"Must have been a pretty major rule for him to just kick you to the curb like that," I added.

Ana's expression sank into a hint of despair. It was obviously uncomfortable for her to talk about, but I was worried about the kind of person she might have been. I was going to let it be for a while, so I began to move toward the exit.

Ana grabbed me by the shoulder and held me back, albeit gently. "Listen, you seem like a good guy. I'm just not sure if I can trust you with everything yet."

"And by me, you mean Josef as well?"

"Yes. Him as well," she said as she removed her hand from my shoulder. "I just want to get a good feel for how you guys are. Today really meant a lot, too. The people here are important to me."

I certainly understood where she was coming from, especially since I was suspicious of just about everyone in the wasteland. I still had a few lingering questions about Josef as well, so it wasn't like she was any different.

"Fair enough. Just don't give me any reason to think you're a danger to us, okay?" I added to end the conversation.

"Sure," Ana responded and immediately regained her usual demeanor. "I won't interrupt your bromance with Jo down there," she said with a wink.

"What the hell is a bromance?" I asked.

She just laughed.

We proceeded to the courtyard where most of the residents were gathered, as well as the Tenpenny guards and Josef.

"Oh, hey bro," he said, waving us over. He glanced back and forth then lowered his voice. "Is it done?" he asked.

"I'm still here aren't I?" I said rhetorically.

"Physically, yes. Mentally?" he knocked on the side of my head. "Eh, you've seen better days." he teased as he then turned to Ana. "So how much trouble was he in when you found him?"

Ana held her thumb and her finger close together and squinted her right eye. "Just a little. He only had one angry ghoul pointing a gun at him. He did well, though, for a vault boy."

"That's better than last week," I added to her sentence. "What's with you worrying about me anyways?" I asked Josef, who was being plagued by a fit of chuckles.

"Nothing, I just feel responsible for you is all. You're like a kid brother I never wanted." Josef then stepped back and looked at me. "And what the hell have you got on, anyway?" he said and pointed to the Hawaiian shirt I had on.

I slapped my forehead. "Well, I thought that it was high time we go on vacation. Pack your bags, Jo, we're heading to the tropics." I said as I removed the shirt. "I'm kidding, I've got to get this back to the clothes guy."

"Anthony?" Ana asked.

"Yeah," I said as I jogged over to Anthony, who was situated on the ground, holding his head in his hands. "Here." I extended my arm to him. "This is all I could take with me. Most of the other ones are okay as well, so don't worry about it."

Anthony revealed his face, still devoid of expression, and carefully took the shirt. He was still a bit shaken up from the whole ordeal, which was understandable. "Thank you," he muttered then returned to his previous position.

"Sorry if it smells like ghouls," I said as I returned to my two friends.

"I don't know about you two, but I'm pretty hungry," Ana said as she put her arms around both of us. "How about we get lunch? We can talk about what we're going to do next. Sound good?"

I nodded. "Yeah, with all this craziness going on I hardly noticed that I hadn't eaten anything today."

"I have one request!" Josef said loudly and turned a couple of heads toward us. "Let's not eat in there," he said as he pointed to the front doors.

"I second that. That place is nastier than…" I added but was cut off by Josef who didn't want to hear the end of my comparison.

"Alright." Ana placed her hand on her chin. "Okay, I know a spot we can go to!" Ana said and snapped her fingers. "Hang on, I'll go get something to sit under, you two go kill a mole rat or something!" she said as she entered the building. "They're pretty common around here! Stomp around for a bit and they'll pop out. Just meet me back here when you've got it!" Ana called from over her shoulder as she disappeared into Tenpenny Tower.

"Welp." I clapped my hands and rubbed them together. "Let's get looking. I'll start stomping around and you be ready to shoot."

"They might jump out from under you, remember? Don't freak out like last time."

"I know," I said as I ran across the grounds in front of the gates. "And don't miss them and hit me or my boot's going straight up your ass."

I stomped and jumped on every little bump in the ground and every hole. The mole rats that were scurrying through tunnels deep below must have thought that the world was going to end once again. A rat burst from a small hole in the ground with a screech, which I answered with one of my own, and lunged at my ankles. I kicked it back and Josef took a shot at it.

"Damn it," he grumbled as he watched the bullet miss and dust fly up near the molerat. "Hang on." He closed one eye and looked down the sights, then shot again. The mole rat whimpered and rolled over. "It's a wonder they didn't come out with all the commotion this morning." He pondered to himself while I readied myself for any other rats that may join.

"Maybe they don't like ghouls any more than we do." I guessed.

"I don't hate all ghouls, though. I just don't like the ones that would have me for dinner." Josef explained.

"Aside from looking like an over-cooked strip of bacon with legs, ghouls are okay." I jumped back and a molerat tunneled up below me. It was immediately met with extreme force from Josef. "Like Gob. He's okay. I feel sorry for him, though." I continued.

"That old bastard Moriarty has him under his thumb, doesn't he?" Josef walked over and began to gather up the two mole rats. "There, two should be enough," he muttered to himself, "But back on topic. Gob is basically a slave for Moriarty."

"Is that even legal?" I asked.

"Probably wasn't two hundred years ago, but no one cares anymore," Josef explained indifferently. "They've even got a whole damn place filled with slaves and slavers a good ways up north. They call it Paradise Falls, and it's one of those things that you shouldn't go around asking people about, else you rub someone the wrong way."

"Why hasn't anyone done anything about it, then? If it's such a bad place then why don't people just run the slavers out?"

Josef stood up straight as if I had just hurled an insult at him and his mother. "Because there are only two ways that can end." He searched for the words for a few moments, took a deep breath then seemed to relax a bit. "You either go in there and they turn you into Swiss cheese if you're lucky, or they slap a bomb collar around your neck and put you in the pens. You make a break for it? Boom. You fight back? Boom. Don't move fast enough for them? Boom. Oh, and you could just get eaten."

"Alright, shit! I get it!" I said, wincing at the thought. "Never mind." Yet again, the horror stories about the surface that I was told in the vault were reinforced. People were dangerous, more so now that never before. "You were kidding about that eating thing, right?"

Ana came jogging towards us holding what looked to be a dusty old umbrella and a bag filled with drinks and other supplies. "Okay, I got the stuff. I figured we could have a picnic on this hill just a little ways away." She looked over to me, my face still glum. "Uh...You okay there? Look I know the umbrella here," Ana opened the umbrella and gave it a twirl which sent dust into the air and revealed several holes in it, "probably isn't what you were expecting, but there's no reason to get so down about it."

I shook my head. "No, it's not that. Don't worry about it." I plastered a goofy looking smile on my face and began to march. "Let's just enjoy the rest of the day, have some fun." I beat my fist against my chest to pump myself up.

The three of us began to amble in the direction of a hill, just a little ways from the tower. A few birds circled around the area, cawing and squawking at us whenever they flew a bit low. I imagine they were waiting for one of us to keel over, considering how hot the sun was that day. I myself began to worry that I might be the first to drop. Ana and Josef had lived in that kind of environment, but Vault 101 was always pretty cold in comparison.

We reached the top of the hill and looked over the expanse before us. Ana raised the umbrella above her head and thrust it deep into the ground. She twisted it and put a little more force behind it, the stepped back and wiped her forehead. Josef threw the molerats down and lay out flat on the ground.

"I think all the killing from earlier is catching up to me." He said through a yawn. "It was too early for that nonsense."

I set my bag on the ground and lay my face on it. "I'll say. Couldn't Roy have at least waited until, like, eleven or something?" I rolled over and covered my eyes from the sun.

"Hey, Paul, it's not your turn to relax yet. You've got to start the fire so we can cook those bad boys over there." Ana said and pointed her thumb to the molerat carcasses. "Josef and I can prepare them, you just worry about the fire."

I groaned and sat up. "M'kay." There were a few stones lying about, so I began to gather them to place them in a circle. They hit the ground with a thud and bounced away, so I rolled them into place carefully. Josef and Ana were sitting a short distance away and chatting, Ana doing most of the talking, though.

I held my hand over my brow and shielded my eyes from the sun. I scanned the area for some wood, which was a bit easier when I got it through my head that trees around D.C. were no more than gnarled husks of their leafy ancestors. I approached a charred pillar of wood that was hardly any taller than I and placed my hands on it. It wasn't very sturdy and smelled more like smoke than sap, but it should be okay for burning. A loud snapping sound was heard as the tree bent and gave way under the pressure.

"Ouch," I said and I fell on the ground and the tree landed harmlessly next to me. I dragged the wood back to our spot and watched the birds continue to circle above. They didn't look like normal birds, for whatever that means since one of them had two heads and the other seemed to have more than two wings. That was not uncommon in the Capital Wasteland, and I would imagine it is a common sight anywhere you go in post-apocalyptia. Every animal that had existed since before the Great War had developed some kind of mutation or had become something else entirely.

The wasteland was, and is, weird.

It would be a little while until the mole rats were properly cooked, so we had some time on our hands. I personally was not a fan of the aroma that had filled the air, but I was in no place to complain. I was going to get food after all.

I started to wonder what it would be like to shoot something from far away, so I looked over to Orange. "Hey, Ana, you mind if I try Orange real quick?" I asked as I began to reach for the rifle.

Ana snatched it up and held it close. "Why?" she looked at me incredulously, then turned her torso a little farther away.

"I just wanted to shoot it." I shrugged and tried to reach again.

"But you'd just miss and waste my ammo!" she said as she scooted over. "That is if you're shooting at anything in the distance farther than two feet."

I turned around and scanned the rocky land. Rocks, trees, cracks, dirt and remains of roads were all populating the landscape. The place was virtually empty, so I was out of luck. There was nothing to shoot at.

"Paul, I'll have to agree with her on this one," Josef said as he stood up and started to look out over the landscape. A gust of wind kicked up a dirt cloud that rolled across the horizon and dissipated into nothing. "But you did just give me an idea." Josef motioned for the both of us to stand up and join him. He pointed all the way to a sickly tree far, far away. It was almost nothing but a stick pointing skywards. "I want to know how good you are. Shoot that tree." over said and stepped behind Ana. "C'mon, Paul, step out of the way."

"You dare doubt my abilities?" Ana asked in a heroic voice.

I moved and stood behind, and watched the tree far away. Ana held Orange up and peered through the scope. She tilted her rifle up and down slightly and then did the same for left and right. She stood as firm as the earth itself and placed her finger on the trigger.

Inhale, exhale. A bang echoed across the area and the small, sickly tree burst into splinters.

"Holy shit!" I exclaimed as the fragments of wood rained down to the dirt.

"That'll teach you to doubt me," Ana said and sat back down. "I've been practicing for years now, so I'm pretty much an expert."

"I wouldn't go that far," I added.

I didn't doubt her again, though. She was an excellent shot.

It goes without saying that we enjoyed a hearty meal of mutant rodents soon after. I guess it was nice. Leaving the vault made me believe that I would never really have a moment's rest or enjoyment, but sitting there on a hill outside of a prewar hotel that was infested with zombies only an hour before was quite refreshing. Josef, Ana and I shot the breeze, and for a while, it was pretty carefree, kind of like home.

I told them about some of the things we did in the vault for fun. I told them about spray painting the walls and running back to the apartments, only to be found moments later since it wasn't very hard to identify me in such a small place. I also recounted the quest Amata and I went on to find the secret comic factory that we thought was hidden somewhere, even though we never found anything of the sort. I revealed the secret shooting range that my dad had made for my tenth birthday, and how I shot Butch in the ass once or twice to get revenge on him for bullying people.

They sat and listened with such interest, but it only seemed to make me homesick.

"So, why did you leave then?" Ana interrupted.

The words only reminded me of the horrors that I endured upon my exit. I frowned. "Well. My dad left." I took another bite of molerat and gulped loudly. "We weren't exactly supposed to go to the surface, so I had to leave as well. The Overseer always said that no one ever enters the vault, and no one ever leaves. Not for two-hundred years, and not ever again."

"Well, that doesn't make a bit of sense. You'd all starve and die if you didn't leave every now and then." Ana reasoned. "Did that ever occur to anyone down there, or were you that brainwashed?"

I brought my knees up and crossed my arms over them. "I thought about it every now and then, but I really didn't have any idea what was in some of the restricted parts of Vault 101. They could have had some way of growing food in there, or at least making things for us to eat."

Josef ran his hand over his hair. "It's actually kind of strange they didn't. I've been in another vault before and they had an area that was like a garden. No one lived in there anymore, and it was all rusted and dark, but they had to have grown food in there at some point. Even people out here grow food, despite how shit the soil is."

"See, that's what always got me!" I said and motioned with my hands. "How were we able to keep ourselves alive? What made us so special?"

"Maybe you weren't." Ana shrugged and leaned back, propping herself up on the palm of her hands. "The others might have been sneaking out and getting food from the outside when theirs ran out. Probably took years to run out, but I bet that's what happened."

"Maybe. It makes sense to me. But why would they lock up?" I agreed. I sighed, retracting my other question. "It still seems unreal that it was all a lie. It really makes me wonder what else was a lie down there." I covered my face and felt a grim air creep over me. "I wonder if I even belonged there anyways. The Overseer was probably right. That would explain why he was always climbing up into my ass every time I messed up."

All my life I had been given strange looks, as if I were out of place, but still tolerated. I watched as the vault dwellers looked at my father and me in a similar manner, him especially, but I never really paid that much attention to it. I lived there, and it was the only place I had ever known, but what was different about my father and me? We had always lived there as well, hadn't we? I thought that it may have been related to my mother. They could have felt sorry for me but didn't know how to express it. Alphonse Almodovar was different, though. He openly despised me even when I was just a child. It was like I had done something personally to him in a previous life or something.

Things were different then, though, even with that. I still lived in a great place, despite the lack of good leadership. Everything was so carefree in Vault 101. I never had to worry about anything, but outside, in the Wasteland, I couldn't possibly hope to be the same.

"You said that your dad left, and I get why you would be a bit upset with him over that, but why would you leave the comfort of a vault?" Ana asked. "I'm sure by now that you've figured out that this isn't a fun place all the time."

I smiled glumly. "I know it sounds really cheesy, but," I looked around, a bit embarrassed, "but my dad is the only person I really have. He's always been there for me, even when everyone else wouldn't put up with me, and I miss him." I took a deep breath to relieve some tension. "I hope he's okay out here."

Josef pushed me, nearly sending me onto my side. "Damn, you're always so sad when you talk about him." He laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Listen, I get it. You miss your family, I feel the same about mine. I wonder about my brother every now and then. I wonder if he's doing okay back on our farm, and I wonder about my parents, and if they're doing okay."

"Oh, my heart is just aching for you two!" Ana said as she sniffed and placed one hand over her chest.

"Hey, could you not be so rough for a while?" I said with a mocking politeness.

"Only if you say please," Ana replied and saw that I was still waiting for the proper response. "Alright, I'll try." she sighed.

Josef stood up and stretched. "Okay, Paulie, that's enough pouting, for now, it's time to become that sarcastic little shit again that you usually are!" He reached over and tapped on the screen of my Pip-Boy. "Turn the radio on. Lighten the mood."

I pressed a few buttons and flicked through the screens until the radio frequency screen popped up. It was just the usual stuff, a few old pre-war radio frequencies, something called the Enclave radio, another one that I only listened to once and never again since it was only garbled voices, and, of course, Galaxy News Radio. A burst of static crackled out from the small speaker on my wrist device then cleared somewhat into a blast of jazzy musical tones. GNR usually played some real toe-tappers, even if the signal was just plain shit.

We all relaxed and listened to the music that was made so many years ago. Rarely are we allowed to peer into the past like our ancestors did, but music is a universal language that held the people's lives, their culture, and their legacy. It didn't need words to convey the artist's passions, though it often did, it needed only to speak a vocabulary that humankind was able to discern with their souls. Music is one of my favorite things in the world.

The bliss only lasted a few minutes, but I felt recharged, renewed as if I had just slept a night.

"What rhymes with shoes, and often gives you the blues?" Three Dog inquired from the Pip-Boy speaker. "That's right, it's time for the cashews!" he teased. "Okay, that doesn't really rhyme... How about news?"

"Shh, shh!" Ana said as Josef began to comment on the cashew thing.

"Hoho, boy! Children, you are," Three Dog began before he was interrupted by a crackle of static. "Okay *BZZRT* so I told you *CRZZZT* James, the guy from the Vault. And then I told you," and more static, seemingly endless. "Came and visited yours truly here in the middle of *ZRRRT* GNR."

My vision blurred a little. Did Three Dog just say what I thought he said?

"Wanted to know what's what in the Capital *ZRRRCT* so let our new brother know that he's *CZRRTTT.*" Three Dog said until he was once again overtaken by static.

I had heard enough. He had just said that a man named James that had left a vault had visited, and I only knew of one James that had recently left a vault. My father.

"Damn. Daddy dearest must be a badass to get all the way down there." Josef said with a whistle. "Especially if he was alone."

I stood straight up. I didn't even ask if we were going, and I didn't even take a moment to decide if I should even go. "Josef, do you know the way?" I asked, my fists clenched hard enough to turn my knuckles white.

"Not really." He said as he handed me my bag and threw his over his shoulder. "But I know who might. Moriarty, back in Megaton."

"Woah there, fellas. That place is a hell-hole. It's in the middle of the D.C. ruins." Ana called out to us from the ground. I had already started walking while Josef stood back. "You'd have to be crazy to go down there!"

Josef still wasn't moving, but I didn't care. I needed to get to GNR if it was the only way for me to find my dad.

"Yeah, maybe we would be crazy," I said over my shoulder. "But I'm going. If my dad's been there, he may still be nearby, or have said something about where he was going. He owes me some answers, and I don't want anything to happen to him."

I had wanted to investigate that job paper I had found on Tenpenny's desk before and a few other things around there. The job from this, "G.R." guy, though, was special. It had been bothering me since I read the paper, and I couldn't put anything past the old bastard Alistair. He could've been up to something else that was bad for Megaton.

There was more going on, but I had to find my family first. Whatever it was that had been going on was going to have to wait.


	9. A Lack of Direction

Chapter Nine

A Lack of Direction

 _~ August 30, 2277 ~_

I must agree with what Ana had said. Heading into the D.C. Ruins to find my dad was probably one of the worst decisions I have ever made. I was woefully unprepared to come face to face with some of the most horrifying things the Capital Wasteland has to offer or stumble around in the dark tunnels below the streets.

Things were going to change because of my journey to meet that guy on the radio, but more on that later, though.

The three of us made our way back to Megaton, albeit not as quickly as we had ventured out from it. Josef decided that it would be for the best that we retire the ramshackle bicycle we used to travel to Tenpenny Tower. It had enough trouble staying together on the trip there, and we weren't sure if it would survive another. Not to mention that it was only built for two, so one of us would be walking.

"It can go down in history as having a successful maiden voyage despite being made of shit." Josef proclaimed over it as we left it to rust or perhaps be scrapped by the locals.

I may or may not have cried a single tear over that junk and bedroom-slipper-pedaled beauty.

Ana continued to try and convince us that heading deep into the middle of the Capital ruins was asking for trouble, but I was determined to go anyway. She tried to spin all sorts of horror stories about being ripped to shred and devoured by the mutants lurking around every corner, and that we were better off looking somewhere else. Eventually, only a few steps away from the front gates of Megaton, she ceased her endeavor.

Deputy Weld chimed in with his usual welcome and broke whatever tension that had been building during the trip back.

I unlatched the gate of Megaton and tried to push it open. It rattled and moved slowly, and revealed the town once again. Nothing was different about it. I had only been gone a short while, but with all of the events that took place, it felt like ages. People still wandered aimlessly about, and the same hint of unease lingered in the air as it had before I left but was significantly more pronounced. The townsfolk still did not have a sheriff, and the reality had only just begun to set in on them.

I looked down the hill to see the same red-haired man that had been on the other side of the bar at the Brass Lantern headed towards us. He continued to look around the town, as if he were begging for something to catch his interest, but were not particularly confident that such a thing existed. The man looked upwards to us, at me, specifically, and seemed to hesitate. He shook it off and pushed onwards to the crest of the hill where we stood.

I watched him as he passed, his hands still thrust deep into his pockets. He didn't turn his head to give us a passing glance, almost as if he pretended to not notice that we were standing there. The man was still watching us, though, even as he exited the town and went into the wasteland outside. Red-Hair seemed to be a traveler of sorts, much like our trio I guess you could say. I had only seen him once or twice around the town in my stay, but he kept to himself, per the usual, and carried on about his business as if no one else were there. It was as if he lacked a target.

"What's his deal?" I muttered to myself, and prompted a, "huh," from Ana.

"Did you say something?" She asked as she leaned her face around to mine, which was still pointed down.

I put on my best, "couldn't care less," face and looked away. "I was just wondering if I should've kept that shirt from Tenpenny's Tower."

"Really? I thought it looked kind of dumb. Too colorful." Josef said and looked waved to a passing resident who welcomed us back. "The locals would've had something to laugh at, though, so maybe you're on to something."

"Yeah, maybe." I yawned and motioned with my hand as I started down the hill. "C'mon, let's go see everyone's favorite asshole."

I was already dreading the conversation with Moriarty, but dicking around and trying to avoid trouble was not going to help me find my dad any faster.

Moriarty's Saloon was in its usual state of controlled chaos, and absolute depravity. An older man was sitting in the corner hurling curses at everyone in the room and recounting his days as a raider, obviously drunk off his ass. Nova, the prostitute, was nowhere to be seen, but I'm sure she was probably just, _ahem_ , working. Moriarty was abusing Gob, as usual. All of these wonderful activities took place under dimmed lights and a thick cloud of revolting stench.

There was no Mr. Burke that time, at least, and for that much, I was thankful.

"Ye filthy degenerate!" Moriarty yelled at the top of his lungs. "I shoulda killed ye instead of hiring ya, and having to stare at yer feck ugly mug every day!"

I slammed my hands down on the bar and sent one of the empty glasses rolling onto the floor. "Hey! I know it's hard to believe, but you actually have a customer!" I shouted over the screaming owner.

He turned angrily to me, slightly foaming at the mouth, then regained his composure. He stood up straight and ran his hand over his hair to tame it. It was particularly greasy on that day and glimmered under the overhead lights. I can only imagine why. "Oh, it's just you, kid. What the hell do ya want this time?" he asked and snapped his fingers. Gob reached for a glass as if his life depended on it, which it probably did, and started to shine it.

"I'm looking to get to GNR, and my friend over there," I pointed to Josef, who was enduring a barrage of curses from the old raider, "says you know the way."

Moriarty laughed, then grinned like the devil when he's caught soul in a trap. "Yeah, I know the way. Remind me, though, why should I help you?"

"I won't kick your ass."

"Right, right. Well, sorry to say, lad, but I don't think you're in a position to make demands." Moriarty crossed his arms over his chest and let his grin grow even wider. "The auld sheriff might've taken a liking to ya, but that doesn't mean I have to grant you yer every desire. Besides, dear old daddy would be awfully cross with me if I sent ye romping through the ruins."

If the old Irish man hadn't caught my attention beforehand, then he certainly did then.

"You know him?" I asked and tried my hardest to hide my excitement behind a calm veil. "Has he been?-"

"Here?" Moriarty finished my sentence for me.

Gob, who had shined the glass so well that it sparkled, tried to slink away.

Moriarty didn't miss a beat and dragged Gob back to his previous position and whispered something in his ear. "Not in a good many years, he hasn't. Not since ya were a wee lad."

"Maybe you have me confused with someone else." I objected. "I was born in Vault 101, just down the road, and so was he." I declared confidently.

The loud-mouthed man threw his head back and guffawed. He slammed his hand on the table, as if I had told the most legendary joke to ever be told, and gasped for breath. He tried to calm down but was sent into another fit of giggles every time he looked towards me. "Is that what they told ya?" he asked loudly and in between laughs. Moriarty wiped a tear from his eye and looked around to see if anyone else in the room had as much fun as he had. They didn't. In fact, most looked suspiciously at him, so he tried his best to return to a serious tone. "Let me tell ya how that's a load of..."

"Bullshit." I jabbed my finger at Moriarty, cutting him off. "My dad told me that he and I were born in the vault. It was like they say, 'we're born in the vault,"

"We die in the vault!" Moriarty raised his hands and mocked my voice in a very unflattering manner. "Listen, kid, I've met a few of yer kind throughout the years, so there's no way the place has been closed up," he continued, "No one ever leaves the Vault," Moriarty scoffed, "Take it from me, kid. You've been brainwashed like nothing else. You and yer dad came to stay in my place of business while ya were trying to get into that vault. You wouldn't shut up then, and ye still yap now."

I wasn't sure if Moriarty was messing with me or not, but I wasn't in the mood to play mind games with him. "Okay, whatever, I just want to find my dad. I heard Three Dog say on the radio that he had been there. I've heard that you know the way, so if you could just tell me,"

He began to laugh again, then his face turned red with fury. "You come into my place, threaten me over a dispute with one of my employees, and then come back a week later and demand information out of me?" he shouted. "Ye think you can just hang yer head low and act like everything's fecking peachy now? Tough. Shite. Yer not getting a damn thing out of me." He said and pushed me away from the bar. "You and yer daddy can rot in fecking hell fer all I care! If I remember right, then mommy might already be there waiting for ya!"

I felt a flash of rage, and I was just about to leap over the bar and give the old bastard what for when Josef grabbed my arms and held me back.

"Keep yer animal on a short leash, mercenary, or it's on yer head!" Moriarty shouted and pointed to Josef as he opened a door to the left of the bar and entered a back room. The door slammed shut, and so did the door of opportunity.

I thrashed and struggled, but Josef was stronger than I was.

"Let go of me!" I said as I tried to jerk free of him.

He didn't respond. Josef dragged me backward and Ana held the door open for us to exit the building. I continued to kick and struggle until I was thrown against the metal wall of the saloon.

"Look, Paul!" Josef said, uncharacteristically stern. "You need to cool off and think! Getting in a fight isn't going to get the answers from him, and it sure as hell isn't going to help you find your dad any faster!" Josef put his forearm against my neck and forced me to look at him. "Got it?"

"If you'd let me go then maybe we could find out how helpful getting in a fight would be!" I responded.

"Yeah and you'd walk back in there and immediately get your ass handed to you," he argued. He pressed against my neck harder and locked me in place. "Look, I said I would help you find your father, and I'm even doing it free of charge since we're friends, but I'm not going to let you dig yourself a grave to do it!"

Ana pulled us apart and stood between us. "Alright, alright. That's enough." She turned to face me directly. "Paul, I get that you're passionate about finding him, but Josef is right. Flying off the handle is going to get you nowhere. If anything, it'll set you back, so what we need to do is take five, and decide where to go next."

I was about to offer another half–assed response, but the fact that both of them were saying the same thing resonated with me. Moriarty had probably planned to get under my skin, and it worked. All the talk of not being born in Vault 101 had really struck a nerve with me.

"Fine," I said and conceded defeat. "So what then?" I said in hopes of catching the two of them and putting them in the spotlight.

"Moriarty can't be the only person who knows how to get to GNR in this town, can he?"

"Probably not." I chimed in.

Ana turned around and walked towards the edge of the balcony. She leaned on the guardrail and eyed every citizen in town. "Someone around here knows the answer, and all we got to do is weed them out." She mumbled.

"Well. If we're going to look around town for someone to ask, why don't we just split up? We'll cover more ground that way." I said as I started down the ramp to the left. My friends didn't object to the idea, which was fine by me. The whole situation had left a bad taste in my mouth anyway and I wanted some time to calm down.

Asking for directions to GNR had a better chance of yielding a helpful answer than asking if anyone in town had seen my father. Travelers and the like were rather common in the dusty old town of Megaton, and people with storied pasts made up the general population. Someone was bound to have traveled there at some point in their life.

One woman, in particular, Manya, who was essentially the town grandma, was very knowledgeable about the happenings of the Capital Wasteland. I had met her on my way up to the saloon one day, and she made a comment that she wasn't enthusiastic about someone as young as I wasting my life in a bar. I explained that I was waiting for travelers to head my way, and to inquire about my father.

"Why, hello, Paul." Manya greeted from her fold-up lawn chair. "How goes the search?" she said with that familiar, kindly old woman voice that you probably hear in your head right now.

"I have an idea of where to go now," I told her. "Y'see, I was listening to my radio earlier, and Three Dog said that he had visited him there. In his studio in the ruins."

Manya swallowed hard and shook her head. "That's a mighty dangerous place."

"Hmm, Ana said the same thing," I replied. "Oh, right. Ana is one of my new friends, maybe I should let you meet her sometime."

Manya craned her neck to get a look at the approaching figure behind me. Her expression immediately changed to a mix of, "oh no," and, "why now?"

My conversation with her was cut short by her husband, Nathan, who was ready to shout his praises to some organization.

"You there! Young man! Have you heard of the Enclave?" He asked as if it were of the utmost importance. I had no idea who the Enclave were, but I decided to humor him anyway.

"No, who are they?" I said with a fake interest in my tone.

Nathan's eyes lit up like he had just heard the best news of his life. "Why, they're the government of the United States of America! They are only days away from swooping in and fixing the mess that the country got itself into!" He proclaimed as if everyone should know.

"Wow, the government swooping down and helping us? That'd be the first time in history!" I remarked.

"Poppycock!" Nathan blurted, "It is the duty of every citizen to support his government, and ours is the greatest in history! Just you wait! You'll be out in the ruins somewhere, just wondering how it could get worse, and the Enclave will fly in. Like angels from Heaven, they will come and change, well, everything!" He shouted and raised his hands to the sky.

"M'kay, I see now. Listen, I'm going to go now, and come back later when there's less weird shit going on. You take care now, okay, Manya?" I said as I backed away from the man who put "mental" in governmental. He was obviously full of shit.

"Sorry, Paul, maybe we can talk again later!" Manya shouted over Nathan who was reciting the pledge of allegiance with absolute pride and only forgetting mor

e than a few of the words.

I brushed off the encounter and moved on. My next target was a man named Billy, Billy Creel. He wore an eyepatch and loved to talk about someone named Maggie, who I assumed was his daughter. He never actually clarified who she was, and rarely allowed me the time to ask before recounting another story of his caravan guard adventures. I had only interacted with him a few times, but only because I was curious about the eyepatch and because he wanted to know about the vault life. He usually would loiter around the upper walkways and smoke and take large swigs of Nuka-Cola. Sure enough, he was doing just that.

"Yo, Billy Creel," I greeted him while he was midway inhaling some smoke.

He coughed nastily and shook his head. "Hey, Vault Kid, how's it going?" he replied and held his hand up to block another cough.

"Listen, I need to ask you something," I pressed. I leaned on the balcony railing and declined the offer of a cigarette from Billy. "I need to get to Galaxy News Radio, and I was wondering if you would happen to know the way?"

Billy blew out a cloud of smoke and then flicked the cigarette into the street below. "Yeah, you just take Farragut West Metro. Follow the signs, should be to the..." Billy trailed off and appeared to retrace his steps. He put one finger to his head and tapped it a few times. "East, I think, until you hit the Tenley town Station then keep going. Eventually, you should reach a place called Chevy Chase."

Billy seemed completely unfazed by the unpredictability of the town's safety since losing Lucas Simms. The air was so thick with unease you could cut it with a knife, but if you looked at Billy Creel, you'd never know that. He knew about the real reason for Mr. Burke's presence and eventual demise, too, along with probably everyone else in town as well by that point.

Billy had rattled off the directions so easily I almost wondered if I should ask him to go along. "So, is that it?" I asked.

"Yeah, should be. Just watch out. Metro Tunnels usually have ghouls in 'em. Bring plenty of bullets and you should be good." He explained while he drank down a bit of Nuka-Cola. "Damn, that's good shit." He said to himself and began to walk away. "Sorry, man, I got to run. Things to do, talk to you later. Oh, hope you find your dad, and all that."

"Um, thanks!" I called out as he disappeared down the walkway. "Well, that was easy," I told myself. Having an idea of where my father had been already renewed my determination, and now I knew how I was going to reach the man he had met with.

So the path to Galaxy News Radio was set, and I was finally on the trail of finding my father. It was getting a bit late to go chasing him through the wastes, so I opted to begin my journey the next day. I could already feel the evening humidity making the air thick and wet. The shadow of the wall around Megaton had engulfed most of the town. It brought with it a welcome relief from the sun that had beat down on me for most of the day.

I returned to the streets below and moseyed over the Brass Lantern. I ordered my usual, iguana-on-a-stick, which tastes much better than it sounds. It has a strange sort of crunch to it, but not so much as to be hard. It's still quite tender but smells pretty bad.

I couldn't see where Josef and Ana were at the time, but I figured that they would have an easier time finding me due to the restaurant's central location.

It was at the bottom of the hill, next to the nuke, smack dab in the middle of town.

Even as the town grew dark, and people began to return to their homes built alongside the crater, the Brass Lantern lived up to is the name and stayed lit up. People would brush by and order something to go, or sit down at the bar and stay a while. It was a great place to meet people, or just hang out. No, they didn't pay me to say that. If they did they wouldn't let me say that your orders have a pretty good chance of being wrong since Leo spends half the day wasted.

My friends finally joined me at the Brass Lantern, and I informed them of how we would reach Galaxy News Radio. Apparently, their efforts were fruitless.

Josef had returned to Moriarty's Saloon and interviewed the old man in the corner, Jericho. He, like many other Megaton citizens who dared to bother him, received a thorough tongue lashing from the bitter old raider. He said he didn't have any time for some "pampered vault asshole."

He's not wrong on the asshole part, I'll give him that much.

Afterward, he ran into Moira Brown, the local mad scientist. She had no idea how to get there, either, but Josef had a chance to take part in some choice experiments. She was too wrapped up in her own thoughts and continued to ramble about a book she had considered authoring.

Ana spoke to the street preacher next to the bomb, Confessor Cromwell. I would have told her not to waste her time with him if I had known that she was going to him. Cromwell had spent some time exploring the wastes in his younger days, but he found a powerful faith in a "holy" nuke. He was the head of the Church of Atom, Capital Wasteland branch.

Ana, needless to say, learned nothing from the Confessor. She did, however, gain a plethora of knowledge about the next coming of Atom.

"So, um, why does Moriarty hate you?" Josef asked and threw a beer bottle towards a trash can. It missed and cracked on the ground. "What'd you do to him?"

I was tapping on the bar with the stick left over from my meal but ceased to answer the question. "That second day I was in the wasteland, I kind of stepped between him and Gob."

Josef straightened up and leaned in close. "You didn't," he said in both disbelief and genuine worry.

"Yeah, I did. The old bastard was beating on him, and the sun had hardly come up yet."

"Who's Gob?" Ana interrupted.

"Oh, he's the ghoul that was shining the glass earlier," I clarified, "Moriarty abuses him all the time and I thought I should step in."

"You just can't keep your nose out of shit, can you?" Josef asked.

I spun around on my stool and placed my hands on my knees to balance myself. "What can I say? I hate seeing people attack my favorite part of breakfast," I spun all the way back around and crossed my leg over the other. "No, I just thought it was really dumb to beat on someone just because they look like a too crispy piece bacon."

"You and that bacon thing," Josef sighed and smirked. "Guess it's better than openly telling him he's ugly."

Ana suddenly stood up and pushed her hands down on the bar. She didn't say anything but just looked straight down, there, under the pale light of the bar and the moon above it. She seemed to say something to herself, but I really couldn't tell what it was. Ana tapped her fist lightly on the bar a few times and then looked at Josef and me.

"Everything good?" I asked and waved my hand in front of her face to see if she had short-circuited.

Ana brushed her hair back and tucked it behind her ear. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine it's just," she paused and looked down again. She took a deep, slow breath that was soaked in discomfort. "Hey, could I ask you guys something?"

"I mean," Josef pushed me aside and leaned on the bar. "If it's a date, then I'm in."

"You seem to be okay with ghouls for the most part," Ana asked, clearly not in the mood for an evening out with Josef. "You don't think they're all mindless zombies, you still think they're just as human as everyone else, right? You wouldn't shoot them on sight, would you?"

The question was one of the stranger questions I had been asked, but I decided to play along. "No, I wouldn't shoot them. Did you not hear that I stood up for Gob? I'm fine with them, just as long as they don't see me as a steak."

Ana looked over to Josef, nodded, and raised her eyebrows to motivate his opinion. "And you? What do you think?"

Josef folded his hands. "I don't really care how people look, doesn't make a damn bit of difference. What matters to me is how dangerous they are to me," He explained.

"Fair enough," Ana said and placed her hand on her face. "Look, I'm going to be honest with you guys," She said as she started to rub her cheek vigorously, "This makeup is really uncomfortable."

I was taken aback by the sudden change on Ana's face, and I was no longer in the dark as to why she was being evicted from Tenpenny's Tower. She had a red, dried, rugged patch of skin on her cheek that was not unlike any of the ghoulified citizens of the Capital Wasteland. It wasn't quite rotten like most zombies were, but it was similar.

"Uh, so," I coughed nervously. "You, uh, have a little something on your face?" I stammered. Suddenly, all of the bacon jokes seemed a bit less funny, and a bit more embarrassing.

"Yeah, it's not likely to come off either, or at least, not anymore. It already did that a while back." She said and nervously displayed the area of peeled flesh. "It looks pretty badass, right?"

"Hell yeah, it does!" Josef exclaimed before I could offer my opinion. "People usually have to paint their faces to look tough, but you get that look for free."

Ana grinned and scratched behind her ear. "Oh, come on, it's not _that_ great. I mean, it's just a little too much radiation exposure. That's it," she explained then shot a glance at me, "other than looking like bacon, it's not so bad."

"Uh, sorry?" I replied and while my face flushed with embarrassment.

"It's fine. It _was_ kind of funny," she waved her hand and smiled. "I'll just try not to think about that when I'm eating that pale skin of yours," she said and looked over with a sarcastic glint in her eye. Ana made a chomping noise, then laughed.

"Just don't make me into a damn quiche and I'll be alright."

The moon was high in the sky, and I was completely wiped out from such a long day. We all retired for the night, eager for the next day to arrive. I was, especially. It had been far too long since I had last seen my father, and he had some things to answer for.


	10. Departure

Chapter Ten

Departure

 _~ August 31, 2277 ~_

I wandered through the dark, cold, metallic corridors as if I were completely unfamiliar with them and had not lived my entire life looking at the bolts that kept them together. I continued towards the end of the hall. My apartment was ahead, just around the corner and probably locked up as I had left it. It was nice to be home, somewhere I could be safe, and forget about all my trouble.

"Bet he'll be pissed when he sees it," I said to myself as I spun the spray paint can around. "Asshole got what was coming to 'em." I laughed as I envisioned my vandalism that had adorned the wall just below Overseer Almodovar's lookout in the atrium. Oh, sure, I would be in trouble the next day. Vault 101 was tiny, so it wouldn't be very hard to find the culprit, but I at least had that night to revel in my misdeeds like the evil mastermind I believed myself to be.

The door hissed, let out a blast of steam and slid upwards into the wall. That familiar cold air that had a smell of rust, medicine, and a tinge of alcohol lingered around my nose for just the right amount of time. I guess you never really think about those type of things, like how your home smells or how thick the air always seems until you are removed from it for good.

My father was zonked out on the couch with a half-empty bottle of scotch on the table next to him. Dad was not an alcoholic by any means, but he did enjoy a drink from time to time. He was probably just exhausted from the in and out patients that populated his office from day to day and needed something to relax. It was rarely anything serious, but taking care of a seemingly endless number of scrapes, cuts, bruises, sniffles and colds can wear you out. Dad's constant snoring was certainly something you had to get used to if you happened to visit my home during the late hours of the night.

I took a blanket out from the closet and placed it over him. "Jeez, dad. Always working your fingers to the bone, aren't you?" I whispered under the cover of his thundering snoring. He offered up an unintelligible grumble and continued his deep slumber.

I proceeded to my room, the next one over and let the door slide down behind me. A thick cloud of darkness covered every inch of the room. A flip of the wall switch and the low buzzing of the overhead lights filled my ears and the darkness retreated. I drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

I hardly had enough time to think about setting my spray paint down on the desk in the corner before sirens lit up and screamed.

"Vault 101 is now under lock-down. All residents, return to your quarters on the lower level immediately." Overseer Almodovar commanded from the intercom speaker above me.

I let out an exasperated sigh and plopped down on my bed. The bastard couldn't even allow us to enjoy our down time without his obnoxious voice droning on and on. It would be over soon enough, and then I could go to sleep. A knock on my door startled me, despite being barely audible over the sirens.

"Probably dad," I muttered as I stood up again and scratched the back of my head. "Sirens must've woke him up," I explained to no one as the door slip open once again. "Yeah, dad, I'm in here. I'm alright," I assured before I saw who was on the other side of the door.

It wasn't my father. It was the Overseer.

"Shit!" I said as I jumped backward and punched the button to close the door. "The hell is going on?" I exclaimed while I grabbed my baseball bat, The Ass-Beater, and got into swinging stance. Everything started to come back to me in waves. The Overseer was dead, I murdered him myself! Why was he in my room?

Why was I in Vault 101?

Alphonse continued to pound on the door. Each hit grew louder and louder, it echoed more and more. He screamed so angrily and loudly at me that his words were impossible to understand, except for one sentence.

"You and your father don't belong here."

I kept the door closed as he continued to punish it in hopes of reaching me. He wasn't getting in, though.

"You and your father don't belong here." He whispered in my ear from behind me.

I nearly screamed as I scrambled to cycle the door again. He didn't make a move, but I wasn't about to give him time to shoot me or stab me in the back if he was going to. He only stood there and repeated the same sentence again and again. I stumbled into the next room where my father was still asleep on the couch and shut the door behind me.

"Dad, wake up! Wake up!" I shouted and pushed him around on the couch. He didn't respond. "Wake up!" I yelled one more time as Alphonse entered from the front door and shouted at me again. The other one exited my bedroom and approached me. I turned to face them and swung at one with the Ass-Beater. He shrugged it off, despite taking on the appearance of someone who had been beaten and battered.

My father began to stir behind me and I felt a sense of relief wash over. He stood up and put me in a big hug from behind me. Except it wasn't a hug. He was restraining me.

"You and your father don't belong here." my father, who had the face of the Overseer, roared at me as I struggled to free myself from his grasp. The other two approached me and repeated the same thing, each time becoming louder and louder as more entered from the front door. Each one looked as if they were one of the other vault residents, but with Alphonse's head.

Butch, Amata, Freddie, all of my classmates and every other vault dweller had begun to crowd my home. They were all yelling and repeating the same sentence in unison.

"You and you father don't belong here! You and your father don't belong here! You and your father don't belong here!" They repeated endlessly until they left my father out and said that only I didn't belong there.

I tried to cover my ears, only wanting a moment of relief, but my hands were held back.

"You don't belong here! You don't belong here!" they all yelled with enough combined volume to share the room.

I tried to yell back at them, but I couldn't, my mouth wouldn't open. Then, they just stopped, as if tired. I thought that I might have finally reached some sort of end to the madness, but they weren't done.

They all looked directly at me and screamed so loud that the windows in the room shattered and the earth itself felt like it had moved. "YOU MURDERED ME!"

My eyes flung open, and I was back in Josef's shack, on the floor. I was on the same, lumpy mattress (if you can call it that) that I had grown accustomed to in the wasteland. Dust particles hung lazily in the air around me, slightly illuminated by the sunrise that peeked through a slit between the wall boards.

"Shit," I whispered to self and placed my head in my hands. " _What the heck is wrong with me? I didn't murder anyone, did I?"_ I thought as I tried to reassure myself that I hadn't entered into another nightmare. I had, of course, but the kind that you don't wake up from; the reality of the post-apocalyptic world.

I got to my feet and stretched and shook off the sleepy feeling. Josef wasn't in the shack but was probably nearby, so I went outside to find him.

"Hey, Josef?" I called out while I shielded my eyes from the bright morning sun. "You out here?"

There wasn't any response from Josef, who was lying on the ground a few feet from the shack door. A few empty bottles were on the ground next to him, and one was still in his hands.

"Aaaand he got drunk last night..." I muttered as I nudged him with my foot.

He only rolled over and groaned something unintelligible.

"C'mon, man, we don't have time for this." I nudged him, more of a kick, really, again.

Josef started to stir and try to sit up.

"Morning, sweetheart," I said sarcastically as a bewildered Josef looked around with squinted eyes. "Have a fun time?"

Josef coughed and beat on his chest. "Yeah, yeah." He finally replied groggily. "All that stuff yesterday got me keyed up. I needed to unwind a bit." Josef wobbled to his feet, and then made a face like he had just been punched in the gut and the forehead at the same time. "Man I met this girl last night, had some giant..." Josef paused for a second and I could practically hear the gears inside his head turning. "At least, I think it was a girl. Anyways, she had..."

"Whoa, whoa." I held my hand up and tried to silence him. "I don't need to hear about your _adventures_ from last night." I looked to the front gate of Megaton. A few traders had gathered around, probably relaying tales from their recent travels. Ana was counting out caps from her hand to a man wearing a jumpsuit and carrying far too many guns for one person.

"Hey, you two!" Ana shouted to Josef, who had unsteadily reached a standing position, and I. "C'mere!"

"Shit, why's the sun got to be so damn bright?" Josef said as he stumbled forward. "C'mon man, we gotta..we gotta go over there.."

I watched as he wobbled forwards and continued to mumble to himself. I immediately began to wonder if he was going to be capable of traveling to Galaxy News Radio, but shrugged off the doubts and followed down the hill and stumbled almost as much as Josef. I had become used to the uneven ground of the surface world, but I still had trouble maintaining my balance every now and then.

I guess from an onlooker, Josef and I both must have looked hungover.

"Morning, fellas!" Ana greeted us cheerily then glanced at Josef then back to me. "I thought you two might want to do a bit of shopping before we head out. Lucky will give you a good deal." She explained as she nodded towards the man next to her with all of the guns.

He exhaled a ring of smoke and threw a cigar to the ground. "Greetings, my fellow travelers," Lucky said as he stamped the smoldering cigar into the ground. "I hear that you're planning an expedition into the D.C. ruins, correct?" He asked, and rubbed his palms together. "That's a mighty dangerous place, but the danger can be...n _eutralized,_ should you have the correct means."

"And that's where you come in?" I added.

"Correct, my underground dwelling friend." Lucky agreed and reached into a small pocket on the chest of his dingy, yellow jumpsuit. "Ana here is one of my regulars, makes me a good bit of business, so once she explained to me the situation, I decided that I would assist your trio."

My face lit up as I began to believe that he was going to join us for our adventure. We could've always used his amount of guns, and him as well. He knew how to use each one skillfully, no doubt.

"But make no mistake," he began, "I do not run a charity. I am a businessman and I must take care of my business. I am going to give you a discount on ammunition today, and only today, but everything else is full price, got it."

"Yes, sir," I said as a bit of my excitement drained. Ammo was nice, but another body and lots of guns were better.

"Oh shit!" Josef exclaimed as he began searching through the caravaneer's supply. "Where the hell did you find this?" He said as he pulled a blocky shaped gun and shook it around in the air. I honestly believed it was just a toy, but Josef seemed much more excited than that.

"Yeah, Harith, where'd you find that?" Ana seemed genuinely interested as well.

"Up north." He responded uninterestingly. "It was lying around next to some poor fella that was more of a goo than a guy."

"What do you mean by goo?" I asked as I had trouble visualizing what he meant. Josef continued to inspect the small pistol, seemingly in disbelief that he was holding one in his hands.

"Green. Sticky. Hot and plasma. Something you don't want to see happen in person." Harith nudged his hat with the tip of his thumb and looked upwards a bit. "I can't imagine how anyone gets ahold of plasma weapons. It's damn hard enough to find a stinkin' laser pistol let alone one of them."

Memories of futuristic comic heroes flooded my mind at the word laser. "You mean that brick shoots lasers?" I asked incredulously and pointed at Josef's hand.

"Yeah, Paul. Beams of light that'll burn a hole in you. Tons of fun, trust me." Josef said as he began to look through Lucky Harith's carefully labeled stores of ammunition. "I haven't been able to use one of these, well, except for one time. A couple of guys I," Josef opened up a box, labeled with tape that read "E. Cells" and dug out a few, "A couple of fellas I used to run with. One of the guys had one." He held a small battery like object in his hand, then pressed it into a compartment on the side of the laser. "He let me try it out once. It has a kick to it like a normal gun with bullets, rounds, y'know the usual stuff, but with the added flash of light and heated air."

"And badassery," Ana added. "It's hard to beat lasers flying around in the air. It's pretty cool."

I nodded in agreement, mostly because my mind was too busy working something else out to focus long enough for a response. Lucky Harith was a quite the collector, that's for sure, in both weapons and junk. In the wasteland, you had to hang on to whatever you could, since almost anyone can find a use for anything. My gaze was caught on a length of barbed-wire amongst the pile of junk.

"Hey, Harith. How much for the wire?" I asked and pulled the spiky cord to its full length. It was around a couple of feet long, and I already had an idea for it.

"Hmm..." Harith pondered. "Five caps."

I smirked at my misfortune. I only had three left over since we never got paid at Tenpenny Tower. "How about three?" I asked, doubtful of the man's desire to lower the price.

Harith stood in silence for a few moments. "Four."

I shook my head. "Three," I emphasized.

"No, four." he stated.

"Three."

Harith tried to maintain his stance, but he sighed and conceded defeat. "Fine, three caps."

I handed the jingling bottle caps over, took the barbed wire. The sharp points pricked my fingers quite easily, so I knew I had made a good buy. The Ass-Beater had become painfully ineffective in such a short time. It lacked the intimidation factor it once had, so I thought that wrapping it in the spiky wire would boost it back to its previous state. I held the newly spiked bat in the air like a mighty blade. "What do you two think?"

"Jesus, Paul," Ana said to herself. "That's raider level shit right there."

"Good or bad thing?" I asked readying myself as if I were about to hit a home run.

Ana glanced at the barbed wire on the bat. "Which one keeps that thing away from me?"

"I'd hate to be caught on the end of that," Josef admitted.

I gave the bat a few more swings and then pointed it forward. "I'd hate for just about anyone to get caught on the end of it," I said to myself.

Josef, Ana and I prepared to depart from Megaton soon after we purchased the necessary supplies. We didn't have much food, but Josef was positive that we could always scavenge for more if the need should arise. Billy Creel met us at the gates just as we began to leave and offered a bit more advice. He insisted that we should only travel during the day, and never, ever go outside during the night. He spoke of the ruins with such reverence, almost as if he were choking back bad memories of the place, but still wanting to tell us exactly what we were in for.

"By the way, you three," he reached out and put one hand on my shoulder, "If you see anyone, anything that looks likes big, green, burly fella, you stay the hell away from him, okay. Don't you take a single shot at him not even one." he emphasized. "Don't make any noise, and fuck's sake doesn't you dare hit him with that baseball bat of yours." Creel looked squarely at Josef. "I don't think I need to tell you twice, you know exactly what I'm talking about."

Josef nodded in agreement, but neither explained what was so serious.

It began to unsettle me a bit. Had I really been too hasty? The D.C. ruins were much different than the wide open countryside, so fighting was absolutely going to be different should we run into any trouble. Not only that but what would I be facing? I shook my head and try to calm myself down. My heart had already begun to race and I didn't need to worry myself over things that may or may not happen.

"Well." I straightened up my backpack and marched off in the direction of the metro station, dust sent into the wind with each stride. "I guess we had better get going."

The trip to the metro station was just a constant reminder to me that the roads we walked on were once bustling with vehicles that held shouting drivers in a hurry. Now they were fragmented, concrete strings in an ancient spider web, littered with remains of victims' centuries old. I could only imagine what rush hour must've looked like on some of the highways and overpasses that marked the horizon.

"So, uh." Ana began as she sped up to match Josef's brisk pace. "You want to tell me what Billy was talking about?" she asked as if she were unsure that the answer would to her liking.

"Not really, no," Josef said and didn't even slow down a bit. "Just hope that we don't have to find out."

I chimed in, as their secrecy had intrigued me as well. "Yeah, you two were acting like something bad was going on. What did he mean? Are we going to run into aliens or something?"

"Not exactly, but that would be pretty cool." Josef stopped and looked across the bridge we had arrived at and looked to me for directions.

I pulled up the map on my Pip-boy and looked at the marker I had placed. We were decently close to the metro station. "Yeah, it's this way," I said as I started across the bridge.

"Billy and I were just reminding each other of the dangers that live in that ruins. I don't think we need to worry about it, but in case we do, you two just follow my lead."

"So not aliens?" Ana asked, pretending to be disappointed.

"They might as well be," Josef replied as he hopped over a broken portion of the bridge and sent a few pieces falling into the irradiated water below. Something about the way he said that only increased the tension, instead of relieving it.

A partially collapsed over passed was ahead of us, its great shadow enveloping us already. Underneath it, a few people, raiders, loitered. They sounded as if they were having a great time.

We were about to put an end to it, sadly.

Josef and Ana huddled together behind some rubble, while I worked my way a bit closer.

"The fucker had finally lost it." One of the raiders proclaimed loudly. "First he runs inside screaming about somebody following him, then he starts trying to tell us that all the blood on him was from the other guy's heads just exploding."

I moved behind another pile of rubble and sat until he began to speak again. The other two raiders offered their half-hearted responses and the main one continued.

"So we try to get the real answers out of him. Y'know, figure out if he sold us out or something. Then shit gets really fucking weird."

I readied my baseball bat, almost sad I couldn't wait for the entire story to be told.

"He starts looking around and covering his head and screaming some crazy shit like," the raider shifted his voice to a higher pitch, "Death is after me, man! He's after me!" then coughed a bit as the other two laughed. "Like, like death is a fucking person or something! Like some motherfucker out there calls himself death! I swear we got to start interviewing these guys or-"

I leaped out from behind the rubble and was on the raider before he even knew what was going on. I let out a scream like something out of their nightmares and rushed at him. The man was cut short by the newly spiked Ass-Beater. The barbed wire tore the skin on the back of his neck and head and sent him straight to the ground.

"The fuck is-" the girl raider exclaimed in fear as a shot rang out. She dropped down as well. One was left, but he was too freaked out to react.

"What the? Who are you?" He said as I advanced towards him and he stumbled back.

"Death is after you! And I have found you!" I shouted as loud as possible and charged at him.

The raider screamed and kicked up dirt and rocks as he ran for his life. I continued to shout at him as another shot popped and put all his fears, and him, to rest.

Josef, who had been rubbing his head after the gunshots, his head still ringing, and Ana stood up from their spots behind the rubble and approached me.

"What the heck was that all about?" Ana said, giggling slightly.

"Well, one of their guys went crazy or something and said that death was after him. They probably were afraid that he was right, so I capitalized on that fear and used that against them." I explained proudly. "But I don't have to tell you that I'm still as scared of them as they are, well, were, of me." I pushed my hair back and took a deep breath. "Maybe we could've just went around them?" I pondered out loud.

"Maybe, maybe not, but I would've hated to have them follow us to the ruins and corner us there," Ana replied. "Sometimes these guys are persistent."

I listened to her while I looked at the map once again. I motioned with my hand to follow and continued up the road. The metro station was only a short walk away, so we arrived at it about fifteen minutes later. The entrance was in the middle of some parking lot. A river was off to one side, and a building that was falling apart was perched on the other side of that. I tried to get a good look at what was around the building. Ominous, red, metal spikes were assorted around in a wall like fashion, but I couldn't imagine why. Smoke lifted into the sky from behind the walled-in area, like something was living there. I could smell it easily, and no doubt Josef and Ana could as well.

I wasn't sure at the time if the smell should worry me because smoke in the wasteland smells different than the mechanical fires that plagued Vault 101, but since my friends weren't worried, I would not be either.

I walked down the concrete stairs to the gate, which was chained and locked, holding back the darkness below.

"This gate is so old, by the look of it," I said to myself as Josef and Ana kept a lookout at the top of the stairs. "It's like this chain as put on here recently." The gate was aged, rusted, but the chain on it was still somewhat new. I began to fiddle with it, but a lock prevented me from making any headway.

"What's the problem down there?" Josef asked and descended the stairs behind me.

I sighed in exasperation. "The gates locked."

"Shit," he said to himself. Josef crossed his arms and paced back and forth. "Maybe we could blast it off? Do we have any grenades or anything?" he asked after a few moments.

I took my bag off and set it on the ground. Nothing. There were no grenades in my bag, and perhaps for the better since it would've only been trouble later. "Nope, I don't have any."

"Here, move out of the way," Ana said as she brushed past me. She reached into her pocket and pulled a pin from it. Ana knelt down and tilted the lock up a bit, enough to get some light on it and see what she was doing.

"Oh-ho!" Josef exclaimed. "So we're going in all sneaky like?"

Ana didn't say anything back. She was focused on the lock in front of her, and nothing else. I could hear a small clicking whenever she would move the bobby pin around. She was careful, only pushing and turning the pin slowly and never with much force.

A much louder click came from the lock and it dropped off the chain onto the ground. Ana's face lit up and she pumped her fist in victory. "Got it!" she said as she jumped back up. "You're welcome," Ana replied to no one, then pushed the gates open.

"Talented. I like that." Josef said as he went into the tunnel.

"I, uh, I don't know about talented, but I'd say I'm pretty skilled." she retorted as we shut the gate behind us and entered the darkness of the metro tunnels.

There was no way of knowing what would await us underground. The wasteland was already horrifying above ground, and it could only get worse as we went deeper below it.


	11. What Lives in the Abyss

Chapter Eleven

What Lives in the Abyss

 _~ August 31, 2277 ~_

People who lived before the Great War ventured into giant, concrete tunnels every day as part of their commute, and probably didn't even think twice about it. Everything seemed so safe and orderly back then, I'm sure, so there really wasn't any reason to fear the underground, or at least, they wanted to believe that. Unfortunately, they misjudged the volatile state of global peace and went down the stairs one final time, never to return. The metro tunnels would become their tombs, and homes to things much worse than they could have ever imagined.

The three of us continued deeper into the tunnel, and with each step, it grew darker and darker until we could no longer see. The earth itself was swallowing us up. I took it upon myself to turn on the light of the pip-boy when the last rays of light perished. A digital click sounded and the corridor was flooded with green tinted light.

"Whoa," I said as I looked at the collapsed walls and rusty turnstiles ahead. "Dark," I sniffed, "smelly, and cramped. It's just like home." I said, jokingly. "Now all it lacks are a few greasers and one homicidal maniac. Well, actually more than one. Maybe three."

"What a fun childhood you must have had," Josef said as he leaped over the turnstile. "Y'know, it's always been a dream of mine to live in a place with greasers and maniacs."

"Really?" Ana asked and tried to jump over the turnstile, only to tumble to the ground. She spat out a few curses and stood back up. "I should have brought some hair gel, you could live out your fantasy here and now."

Josef made a face. "Yuck. Don't say it like that."

"I'll play the part of the homicidal maniac." I raised my hand as I passed through the turnstile, which got stuck halfway around, then detached and fell to the ground. I stepped over it and wiped some of the grime off my clothing.

There was a ticket booth off to the right, with the potential to house important supplies. I ran around to the door of the ticket booth and kicked it open, sending dust bunnies scurrying in the air. Thankfully, there was no skeleton still inside, not like many others ticket booths I would encounter in my life, but there was a pistol on a shelf below the window. It was an old .357 revolver, probably used by security before the war, still in a holster. It was loaded as well. The Bulldog, my shotgun, was a bit too heavy for me to take quick pot-shots, so the revolver would be the perfect side-arm.

I strapped the holster to my side and continued to look.

"Hurry up, Paul, we really don't want to be down here too long," Josef said from behind, startling me. "Things tend to live down here, and the faster we get through here, the better."

I opened a few small boxes in the booth, but they only contained tickets that were two-hundred years past their expiration date. Everything else inside of the booth was only dust and dirt, which was already in excess in the metro tunnels.

"Alright, that wasn't a total waste of time. I, at least, found a gun." I said, then took the revolver from its holster and tried to spin it around like a cowboy. I'm not a dexterous person, but I was able to display myself as such for that one moment.

We proceeded into a wide open area. Above, sunlight streaked down and gave the room a dim glow, which was enough for us to see where we were going. On either side of the platform, there were escalators, one side was up, one down, but neither were in working order. An old map of the station and where each line led to was displayed on a board, dusty and torn as it was.

The entire room was dead silent, save for the skittering feet of rad roaches and tumbling pieces of rubble. Stale air mingled with the scent of the metro tunnel's resident animals. One old train was crushed into the wall, leaving the point of impact as if it had received a powerful punch from a metal giant. The other train, pointed in the opposite direction, was tilted over, rocked to its side by the blasts centuries ago.

"Guess they won't be selling any tickets," I said to myself as we started down the escalator. I screamed just a bit when I reached the bottom and found a skeleton on the ground, still wearing a suit and clutching a briefcase.

Another tunnel was up ahead, but just a little ways down it, rubble had closed off the path.

"I guess we can't go that way," Ana said, squinting her eyes at the wall of debris.

Josef looked up and down the pile in hopes of finding a weak point.

I caught on and took a more active approach. "Maybe if we just move one rock," I said as I hopped on top of a large block.

"If you bring the whole place down on us..." Ana began nervously.

"I won't! The whole tunnel can't be relying on this one pile for support." I interrupted. I placed one hand on a jagged piece of concrete above me and pulled on it a bit. No dice, so I climbed up a little higher and tried the same. My efforts were futile. A mountain of rubble was not going to topple from such a tiny force such as myself. I gave up and climbed back down and looked around the corridor.

A door to the right was still open, which led to a maintenance only areas. I recoiled at the thought of delving even deeper, but we had to press on. The corridors were completely devoid of any light. My pip-boy was the only lantern we had in an otherwise empty void.

"You don't think anything would be, uh, hiding in here, do you?" I asked after a bit of silence.

"I wouldn't think so. At the very worst, maybe a ghoul or two." Josef said confidently. "After the whole Tenpenny Tower situation, I think we can handle one or two."

"Wait, you hear that?" Ana said as she held her hand up to silence us.

"What is it?" I asked impatiently.

She flapped her hand up and down and put a finger over her mouth.

There was a sound, like rattling metal, which echoed down the hall we had come from. It sounded like someone had entered through the gates behind us.

"Guys, I don't think we're alone down here anymore," Josef said nervously. "We should get going. Now," he said as he essentially dragged Ana and me down the hall.

"Shit, I hope it's not raiders," I whispered to my friends.

"We wouldn't be that lucky, not down here," Josef replied curtly. "Enough talking, let's stay quiet," he said as we approached the end of the corridor.

I held out my hand as we came to a stairwell, then held the other up higher and tried to project the light better. More junk littered the corridor, such as papers and a rusty tool chest that had spilled at the bottom of the stairs.

We proceeded downwards and around the corner where another set of stairs revealed itself. It looked to be the last of the stairs for a while, but the emptiness ahead was mildly unsettling. I hesitated but pressed onwards despite my uncertainty. My dad had come through here at some point, I had hoped, so maybe I was only worrying myself about the darkness.

Anything could hide in the dark, though, from ghouls to molerats to rad roaches, and by the groaning that emanated from ahead, I feared the worst.

"Hey, you two hear that?" Josef whispered from behind me. "Listen." He commanded as we stopped one step from the bottom of the stairs.

Sure enough, a low groaning echoed from down the hall, accompanied by some rattling. A hiss followed suit, accompanied by something I had never heard before, and created a symphony of spine-chilling noises. Despite not knowing what the final noise was, which sounded like a "bzzort," I could definitely name the smell. The incinerator in the Vault smelled just the same once someone who had passed was getting pretty crispy.

"You'd think that no one in their right mind would live down here," Ana observed as she fanned the air in front of her.

"Chances are, they're not," I whispered back and stepped carefully forward. "In their right mind, I mean." I could see a sliver of light ahead of us, through another doorway. We drew nearer to the room ahead, and the sounds of whatever was down there with us grew louder, but still sounded distant. My eyes were slightly better adjusted to the low-light area, but if something too dark were to approach us, we would be in deep trouble before we knew what happened.

The light inside the room was coming from above, through what appeared to be a grate. I could smell the wasteland in all its radioactive glory. I walked under the light and looked upwards. We had only been in the metro tunnels a short while, but I was already missing the surface. Perhaps the rugged charm of the wasteland had begun to grow on me.

While I was daydreaming, I missed the sound of footsteps coming from behind us. Josef and Ana, apparently, had been listening closely, as Josef grabbed me around my torso and dragged me over to a corner to hide.

"What the hell are you doing?" I whispered in confusion and tried to position myself in a more comfortable stance.

"Quiet!" Ana whispered frantically. "Turn off your light, now!"

I quickly flicked the glowing screen off and crouched down in the dark. I squinted my eyes at the direction of the footsteps. They were meaty, heavy and clumsy steps that cracked small pebbles beneath them and scuffed the metal floor. They continued to draw closer and closer until I could faintly make out a figure. A burly man was stumbling around in the shadows, grunting and muttering to himself as he passed our position and approached the skylights.

My heart was beating faster with every second that passed, and I could only pray that it wasn't as loud as it felt. My hands started to shake, and I nearly wanted to bolt out to either attack or flee the man.

He stepped into the light, and my stomach began to twist into knots. I was glad I didn't step out.

The man was more of a monster. His skin was yellow-green, and pulsating veins crisis-crossed the surface of his skin. He was at least three feet taller than I maybe more, and far more muscular than anyone I had ever seen in my life, or ever would. I could see the expression on his face. His mouth was pulled back by a harness, and his teeth were gritted in a fierce snarl that only split open when he would take deep, groaning breaths. He wore junk that resembled clothing, but with an inordinate amount of spikes on all of it.

He was no man. He was a mutant.

He stuck his nose upwards and began to sniff. "I smell something." He muttered as he turned his head and scanned the room. "Close." He said as he began to step back to the hallway.

Josef was as quick as a flash in moving towards the other side of the room. He stood himself up against a wall, just around a corner and out of sight of the mutant, who was still searching the hallway.

I looked back at the mutant, and then to Josef in a panic who returned my look with a motion to move. What was I supposed to do, run over to him and hide in the same corner? I stood up silently, and tiptoed to another spot in the room, behind a beam that rested in the middle of the room. I could see a flight of stairs that led down to another door, but I had no time to make a move. The mutant was approaching the room once again, and I could no longer see him.

Ana had already moved to the corner where Josef had been hiding, but I had effectively left myself in the open as the grisly mutant re-entered the room.

I did not move a single muscle. I did not take a breath and I tried to slow my rapid heart while the mutant stepped just by me then went to the corner where we all had been hiding before.

I removed my new revolver from its holster, my hands shaking violently, and aimed it at the mutant. My better judgment was screaming at me, saying not to shoot, but survival instincts were screaming for me to fight.

I pulled the hammer back and an audible click echoed through the metro. My heart sank.

The mutant whipped his head around, looking at what I believed to be directly at me. He stomped towards the support beam as I placed my finger on the trigger, biting my tongue with every thought of crying out in terror.

He stepped closer, almost as if he were unsure of what he had heard until I could smell the awful scent emanating from his body. I placed my finger on the trigger and tried to pull it down, but my hands refused to listen to me, instead they only shook. I said a few inaudible curses to myself, about myself as my fingers finally did what I wanted.

A bullet leaped through the dark and entered the mutant that stood only inches away from me. He howled in pain, then swung his arms around wildly.

"Stupid human!" He shouted as I tried to fire again, but was knocked off balance by one of his massive hands. His other fist came around, struck me like a bus, and knocked me to the ground.

I rolled over, disoriented, my head throbbing, while a hail of gunfire assaulted the angry mutant. Flashes of light allowed me to see Josef firing from his position, and Ana sneaking around the other side of the room. The whole world was spinning as I tried to pick myself up off the ground, but I couldn't regain my balance. It wouldn't be of much help anyway, considering I had already lost my revolver after I had been hit and I wouldn't be in any shape to swing a bat or fire a shotgun effectively.

The mutant continued to scream as the gunfire stopped, but he was still alive. He began to swing his hands wildly at me, but I rolled myself out of the way. He grabbed my arm and slung me around like I was a simple rag doll. I collided with the wall as another quick pop of a pistol sounded. Luckily, though, I did not land directly on my spiked baseball bat.

The mutant made a small groan and collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

I continued to lie on the ground in silence. The only thing I could do was breath as the mutant lie still on the ground. A thick liquid had coated my shirt, but I wasn't able to tell if it was my blood or the green skins.

"Paul, you still living?" Ana asked as she stepped towards me a bit. There was an obvious amount of worry in her voice.

"Mph- Yeah." I choked out. "I'm alive. I think." I continued to try to stand, as wobbly as I was. "What the hell was that thing?" I asked as I steadied myself against the wall.

Neither of my companions replied, which only intensified my grim curiosity.

I coughed, which made my already throbbing head even worse. "What. The. Fuck. Was. That?" I asked again as if they didn't hear me.

Ana cleared her throat. "I...Uh...I'm not sure. At least I don't think so."

I flicked my pip-boy light on and looked at the mess on the floor. Blood had been splattered on the walls and was pooling gradually around the mass of mutant crumpled on the ground. He was riddled with bullet holes and looked just as gruesome as he did when he was alive. My friends also got a look at him.

Ana looked horrified, but Josef looked calm.

I turned my attention to the one person who seemed unfazed. "You know what this... _thing_...is, don't you?" I asked demandingly.

Josef shook his head. "Looks like we weren't too lucky today." He exhaled in disbelief. "They're called Super Mutants. As you can see, they're tough sons of bitches. They hardly even care about bullets hitting 'em."

I nudged the mutant with my foot, wholly expecting the damn thing to jump up and finish us off. He didn't, of course, he was good and dead. "Well. This one is dead. That's good, right?" I rubbed my sore arm. Thankfully, the mutant had not pulled it out of its socket. I would be bruised later, though.

"This one seems to be a loner. No gun. No weapon of any kind other than his fists. He would've had some better equipment, and he sure as well wouldn't have tried to take us alone if he had a few amigos." Josef peered down the corridor we had come from. "Most of the time, they travel in groups of three to four, from what I've seen."

Things could only get worse, right? I was almost helpless against a single super mutant using his bare hands. I would have no hope of prevailing over three or four of them with weaponry. I shook off the fear and knelt down and reclaimed my revolver. "So we really were lucky." I stood up and felt the sharp pain as my back straightened. "Why the hell didn't you say anything about them? We could've tried to prepare!"

"Prepare? Prepare what? Our graves?" Josef scoffed. "Look, I'm going to be real with you for a second. We come across a group of more than two, then we're as good as dead if we fight 'em with our motley little crew here."

"But you're some kind of survivalist or something aren't you? You know everything about the wasteland!" I asked, hardly able to believe the defeat in his tone.

"I've traveled a lot, sure," Josef admitted. "But there are some things that you just can't prepare for. This isn't the first time I've tangled with the green skins. Every other time before, I've just survived the fight, I didn't win. I've been picked up by my hair and beaten with a board by one of those bastards," Josef tugged on one of his locks, "The other two stood and laughed. I'm not making this up, I'm not even joking."

I rubbed my chin. "So what do we do, then? Lay down and hope they pass us over?" I said sarcastically.

"We run like hell," Josef said as he proceeded down the stairway, onwards through the metro tunnels. "And pray to God that they don't corner us."

I huffed, not wanting to believe that my friend had no idea how to deal with one of the wasteland's threats. There wasn't really any time to make a remark. We needed to continue.

Words were scarce coming from Ana, which was particularly unusual. She enjoyed rattling off witty remarks, despite the situation. She was, however, silent in this one occasion.

"Hey," I waved my hand in front of her face, still turned to the mutant sprawled out on the ground, "You okay?"

The realization that she had been standing idly must have hit her all at once. The blank stare disappeared in an instant and she looked back at me. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little freaked out is all."

"You fight brain-eating zombies without batting an eye and this freaks you out?" I said playfully, trying to reinvigorate her usual wit.

Ana smirked. "Hey watch it, there. Those zombies are my people, now." She said dryly.

"Nah, you're only half." I turned and headed to the steps. "C'mon, let's leave mister, ah, ogre here to rot, before our pal, Josef, leaves us to do the same."

Ana snorted. "An ogre? Really?"

I turned back and replied with a thick Scottish accent, "Get out of my swamp," then marched down the stairs to the open door.

We traveled through more dark corridors, and back up a few flights of stairs until we entered into another large area. It was identical to the one we had encountered near the entrance to the tunnels, so I could only assume we were nearing our destination. The metro was slightly better lit once we exited the maintenance tunnels. I was able to switch off my pip-boy light, due to the gaping hole where part of the metro had collapsed. The clouds were light and fluffy, and the sunlight pouring in had warmed the previously chilly tunnels considerably.

The room was largely empty, save for a few ghouls that had been lying around. Curiously, a few piles of ashes that still smoldered upon our approach, were scattered here and there. We dispatched the zombified residents fairly easily and proceeded up the long-stopped-functioning escalators. A large map was displayed, just as it had been at the other end.

I looked it over. "Yeah, this is it. We made it." I said before being interrupted by a loud rumbling from above.

It was as if some massive force had collided with the ground. Some debris fell from the hole and into the metro, as another impact rattled the ceiling of the chamber.

"Is it an earthquake? Do those happen around here?" I shouted as the thundering continued, coming closer to directly above us and vibrating the platform.

One powerful slam shook the ground, and an old door to a ticket booth fell off its hinges. Dust clouds blew haphazardly around, nearly obscuring the sunlight. I held on to a bit of railing to steady myself and watched as a massive shadow passed by the hole above.

It was a mix of incredibility and terror, almost as if a titanic man had been skirting just around the edges of the pit we were hiding in. Had the figure peered down into the chasm, we would have been caught without a way to fight back.

"What?" I said breathlessly as the giant shadow passed out of view. Ana cursed loudly from the escalator, and Josef let out an impressed whistle.

The thundering continued for a few more moments until the silence of the metro tomb returned. I welcomed it far more readily than I had when we first entered the tunnels, considering our experience up to that point.

We collected ourselves and trudged onwards. The exit gate to the surface was in sight once we rounded one last corner. More piles of ashes smoked in the corridor, and a few rad roaches inspected them cautiously. As we approached, however, they skittered away in a frenzy.

I have never liked rad roaches, and they always seem to bite at my ass so it was a much-appreciated change.

Despite having some sunlight inside the metro, it was an entirely different atmosphere when we resurfaced. The burning sun was nearly blinding as it had reached its peak. Emerging from the coldness of underground, I had found a bit of relief in the warmth that we entered into, even if the sight of the ruins was less than gleeful.

The day I left Vault 101 allowed me a glimpse from far away of the disrepair the city had fallen into. It was like a scene from some of the holotape videos I had watched back home. The buildings had either entirely collapsed, or were in the process of doing so. One skyscraper had tilted over, and rested on top of a more diminutive building, while its contents had spilled into the area below. The streets were filled with trash, assorted furniture, such as desks lamps, and chairs, as well broken glass from the windows above. Several husks of long defunct automobiles rusted into orange-brown roadblocks. They had been abandoned by their owners long ago, or housed them while their world ended, and beyond.

"Damn!" Ana exclaimed loudly. "Are we walking into the D.C. ruins or are we walking straight into hell?" She jested.

Frankly, I couldn't tell you the difference.


	12. That Guy on the Radio

Chapter Twelve

That Guy on the Radio

~ August 31, 2277 ~

I leaped on top of a car and tried to look a bit farther down the street, but to no avail. I was not skilled at navigating roads, despite the Vault being similar in that its halls intersected and split just the same. We had already been walking around the area just outside of the metro tunnels for about half an hour, but every turn we took was blocked by rubble. D.C. was once part of a functioning infrastructure of streets and signs but was now little more than a grim maze for us to be lost in.

"Man, I can see it!" Ana called out from behind me. She was looking at the tall metallic tower no more than a block or two away. "It starting to seem like it'd be easier to climb over all this crap!" she added in exasperation.

"As soon as we do that we'll probably find the easier route, then we'll just look like a bunch of jackasses," Josef remarked as he climbed on top of the car with me.

"To who? I don't think anyone is around here to care." Ana argued. "We probably look like jackasses for even coming here in the first place."

"True, but at least it carries an air of badassery," I began, "That even a word? Badassery?"

"It is now, I guess," Josef mumbled as he searched fervently for a way to proceed.

I stepped down. "Only one of us ought to be up there at once, it's not safe."

"What make you say that?" Josef replied as he bounced up and down on the car. "Seems pretty sturdy to me. Maybe a little rusted."

"It's just that..."

"You better not make a damn fat joke!" Josef quickly replied.

I remained silent.

"You're pretty sturdy yourself, Jo!" Ana shouted as she turned away from a collapsed doorway and crossed the street towards us.

Josef made a face, half grin and half glare then waved it off. "Hey, what about there?" He said and pointed to an alleyway. "We ain't tried that way yet. Let's go." Josef said as he hopped off the roof of the car. "And for the record, I'm all muscle." He huffed.

It was obvious that the alleyway had recently been used. Fresh scuff marks covered the ground, and there was a water bottle, which still had a few more sips left in it, lying on the ground.

"Hey, look at this," I said as I picked up the bottle. "Someone's been through here. Maybe it was my dad, you think?"

"Possibly," Ana replied. "Or it could be literally anyone else in the wasteland."

"Well, that could still be okay. If people are passing by this area, then it can't be too terribly dangerous." I reasoned. "I'm thinking we may be out of the woods!" I exclaimed as I sped up to a jog. My naive mind told me that Ana was just being negative about the situation. Surely, the only person crazy enough to come through there would've been my father, and myself as well.

I exited the alleyway and rounded the corner, kicking up clouds of dust. I was in some open area with a large hole in the ground. It appeared that a long collapsed building had covered the hole, and the hole itself was once its basement. Pipes, obviously once part of the plumbing of the building, jutted out from the parts of the walls that hadn't collapsed entirely. They were rusted shut.  
A cylinder object, bearing the name Pulowski, was standing on the sidewalk. It was rusted, and the letters were mostly faded. I was hardly able to tell what the label read but it wasn't of much interest to me at that time anyways. A slab of metal, which I believed to be a door of some sort, was present on the front. It was set a bit deeper in, so I surmised that it must slide open.

I slowed my speed and took in the surroundings, while my friends approached from behind me. We were only a short walk from Galaxy News Radio, and I was very eager to arrive, so much so that I was prepared to pass through some of the ruined structures surrounding us. In hindsight, though, I should have never run ahead. In my haste, I had forgotten the number one rule of traveling in the D.C. ruins: never split from your group.

Josef and Ana began to shout as soon as they rounded the corner. It only took half a second for me to whip my head around and catch an eyeful of the approaching danger.

Two super mutants, nearly identical to the one we had encountered in the metro tunnels, had emerged from a tall office building only a few feet away from me.

The world appeared to slow down for a few moments as I turned on my heels and tumbled onto the concrete. I clawed on the ground as I struggled to put myself in motion.

Shouts filled the air as the mutant duo took notice of me, their minds already filled with the thought of their next meal.

A bullet collided with the ground, only inches from my hand, and dust and pebbles were thrown into my face. I choked on the dirty air as I finally raised to my feet and broke into a sprint. I leaped behind the cylinder, the Pulowski, and pushed myself as close to it as I was able.

I must have pressed a button on it somewhere because the door slid open and I tumbled backward.

"Pulowski Preservation: nuclear protection on a budget!" It cheerily exclaimed and played a short tune as the door closed in front of me. It was pitch black inside of the shelter, as I listened to the continued gunshots coming from outside.

Metallic clangs rattled me as the mutants had begun to fire upon my shelter, but they had not yet pierced it. I covered my head and crouched down, hoping that if they did shoot through the metal booth, then the bullets would still miss me.

I was sure that it was the end right there. My story was going to be over, trapped inside a tiny metal cylinder and shaking from fear, but I was wrong.

While I waited for the end to finally arrive, heavy, thundering stomps, which were not unlike stampeding cows, shook my shelter. Several voices pierced the chaos, despite having some filter over them, almost as if they were robots. One, which sounded like it belonged to a woman, shouted orders sternly, as electric zaps competed with the mutant's guns for the loudest noises around.

A multitude of loud crackles filled the air one final time, and all fell to silence. It was over as quick as it had begun, and I was still huddled in a fetal position inside a pre-war suicide booth.

I slowly stood up and uncovered my head. There was still silence, which I took a signal that it was all clear. I slammed my fist against the metal door, believing that I was unable to open it.

Apparently, the strangers heard me because the woman's voice began to give commands to the others, who responded with much gusto.

"Hey, whoa there, spaceman!" Josef said, as one of the strangers shouted for him to kneel.

"Drop your weapons!" he shouted again. "Now, and no one gets hurt!"

I continued to beat on the metal door, fearful that my friends were in danger.

"Someone get that stupid son of a bitch out of there!" the woman roared at the others.

The same heavy footsteps, albeit quieter than before, approached my position.

"Knock, knock. Hope you're decent, wastelander." a youthful voice, obviously a young woman's, teased.

An awful creaking sound erupted from the door as the stranger wrenched their massive fingers in between the metal. In one fluid motion, they ripped it clean off from the cylinder, held it unsteadily, then dropped it next to themselves.

I shielded my eyes from the sunlight that pierced through the darkness. As I adjusted to the brightness, I could finally see who had freed me.

A metal giant stood like an immovable fortress in front of me. It didn't take long for me to recognize what it was, though. In Vault 101, everyone learned about possibly one of the greatest, most game-changing weapons ever invented: power armor. In short, it was invented in the years leading up to the Great War, distributed to the United States soldiers, should they be trained to wear it, and turned anyone wearing it into a walking, one man tank. Power armor greatly increased the wearer's physical strength and gave them unheard of protection against almost any wartime threat.

It was rather incredible to see one, for the very first time, in person. The magnificence of the moment was only shattered by the fact that the one wearing it had shoved an assault rifle in my face only moments after rescuing me.

"Reddin, hurry the hell up!" a man with a hoarse sounding voice bellowed.

"Okay! Sir!" Reddin responded eagerly, then lifted me, and laid me over her shoulder. Once I could see past the Pulowski, I caught a glimpse of several other figures clad in shiny power armor. T-45d, to be precise. She tossed me face down on the ground next to Ana and Josef, who were kneeling and unarmed.

"You're never going to make it out here at that speed." the man grumbled as Reddin began to search me. "Pick up the pace."

Reddin sighed. "Yes, sir."

I rolled over and sat up, as she pulled my baseball bat from where it was hanging on my bag. She laughed in pity and tossed it aside, next she took the Bulldog, my shotgun, and Chihuahua, my new revolver.

"Poor shmuck, you probably can't even shoot straight, scrawny as you are." Reddin poked.

I frowned.

"Easy, I'm only joking." she stated as she took her position with the other power-armored strangers.

One of the people emerged from behind the rest and approached my friend and me. The figure reached up and twisted their helmet slightly, releasing a low hiss as the seal was broken, then removed it.

A woman, no doubt the one who had been shouting orders before, stood before us. She had a stern look on her face, cold and sturdy like a stone, the kind that meant all business. Her face was covered in muck and grime, but not more than my own (let's not forget who trudged through a dusty, old tunnel and got his ass handed to him by a mutant), and blonde hair, tied in a bun. A few strands blew free, but it didn't seem to bother her.

"Alright, what are you three doing all the way out here? This in no place for civilians," she asked in a loud, powerful voice. "Speak."

"You tell 'em, Paul. It was your idea to come here." Ana said nervously and deflected the question to me.

"Yeah, bro, tell 'em." Josef agreed quickly.

I looked up at the woman, who was still stone-faced and expecting an answer.

"Uh...I came here, I mean, we came here, to find my dad." I said, my voice quaking nervously. "He and I both came from a Vault. Vault 101, and I'm trying to find him. Three Dog, the guy on the radio, he said that my dad had visited him, so I'm going to see if he's still there."

We all sat in silence for quite some time, myself fearing whether or not she was going to believe me.

"It's pretty obvious he's not from around here, right?" Ana began, loudly I might add.

"Ana?" Josef said, trying to prevent her from continuing.

"I mean, look at the poor kid!"

"Ana?"

"He's pretty much oblivious to everything out here!"

"Ana, please." I interrupted.

"He has to have me and Brosef," she said, emphasizing the "bro", "Watch out for him! God knows what would happen if we weren't here!"

"Hoo-oo, Ana?" Josef tried again.

"But he's a pretty cool guy, wouldn't hurt a bloat fly, mostly because his aim sucks and he'd never even get close to one, but also because he's pretty nice."

"Ana!" I finally shouted. "We get it!"

"All in all, please don't kill us." She concluded and added a very unconvincing grin.

"Wonderful argument. I'm sure they definitely won't kill us now." Josef said sarcastically.

"I aim to please," Ana replied, in her own mocking wit.

"Enough!" the power armored woman shouted. "That's enough!" she let out a heavy sigh and looked around. "I can't imagine how you three even managed to get here without..." she mumbled to herself, then trailed off. She turned around and walked a few paces, to the left and to the right, then stopped. She glanced at her comrades, then back to us. "Alright. I've made my decision. I believe you."

I let out a sigh of relief. We were going to live after all.

"We're headed to GNR as well. Some of our brothers and sisters are in need of backup. We're going to allow you to tag along, under one condition. You stay out of the way, and you follow everything I say to the letter." she explained. "Do I make myself clear?"

I shook my head dumbly as Josef and Ana offered audible responses.

"Stand up," she commanded, and we obeyed. "Sentinel Sarah Lyons of the Lyons Pride, Brotherhood of Steel, District of Columbia Chapter," Sarah said quickly. "Now let's move, we've got a DJ's ass to save," Lyons shouted as she re-equipped her helmet and made a motion to the others to follow her.

Our weapons were returned hastily, except for Ana's.

"What's the hell is up with your face?" Reddin asked her rudely.

Ana quickly pulled Orange from her hands and held it close to her chest like a child. She then looked Reddin straight in the eyes, or where I assume they were. "I would ask you the same thing, but you've done us the favor of hiding yours in a tin can," she replied and let a wry grin spread across her face.

I had to contain my own smile as we followed after the others.

Just ahead, we passed through another alleyway, where an armor clad man was lying on a mattress. He was obviously dead, as made evident by the motionlessness he exhibited. The Lyons Pride didn't even bother burying him, but I guess they didn't really have any time, and hauling a dead body through the upcoming war zone would've been a bad idea.

"Okay, everyone, listen up." Sarah clapped her hands together to get out attention. "We're going to pass through the school building ahead, and cross the street into GNR plaza. It's likely that we'll encounter heavy resistance, so be ready."

Heavy resistance? I would regret my wondering almost immediately.

"Move out!" Lyons shouted and took off towards the bombed out building ahead.

The rest of the Lyons Pride followed, as well as Ana, Josef and I.

As we approached the school building, a large, green-skinned figure emerged from around one of the windows. It was another super mutant, just like the ones we had encountered earlier. He shouted as he fired his rifle at us, making a loud boom in the process.

I ducked behind a car that was located off to the side, while everyone else fired back at the mutant. I hadn't noticed until that point that a few of the Brotherhood members had laser rifles.

The mutant was easily dispatched, and he turned to a pile of ash. His disposal, however, alerted several others, who in turn fired upon us. A few stray bullets hit the car I was huddled behind but did not pass entirely through. I knew that such a position would not last forever, so I steeled myself to move somewhere else.

I made a dash for another position as the car I was crouching behind caught fire. Lasers and bullets jumped through the air, fighting back and forth as the shouting of the Brotherhood members were drowned out.

The only place I saw to run towards was the school building itself, where the Lyons Pride had already begun to enter. I sprinted with all my might to the doors and threw them open, as the car behind me exploded violently. I was thrown off my feet and face down onto the ground for the third time that day. It wouldn't be the last either. Pieces of the vehicle scattered around the area, the scorching hot metal bending and twisting even more as they collided against the building's walls with incredible force.

I scrambled to my feet in time to see Ana rush to the left, at the end of the hallway. My only choice was to follow her, being that she was the only person I knew the location of, lest I lose my way and encounter a not-so-friendly mutant alone. Just as I rounded the corner, I watched as she was thrown up against a wall by a mutant. Orange slid across the floor as Ana dove out of the way of the angry green skin that charged at her.

I readied the Bulldog and aimed it at the mutant. "Eat this!" I shouted and pulled the trigger. The green skin splattered on the wall as he twirled on his heel and collapsed.

I rushed to Ana and helped her off the ground.

"Nice one!" she congratulated.

"Thanks!" I said as I picked Orange up from the floor and tossed it to her. "Let's get out of here!" I said as I took off down the hall again.

"I sort of froze up when he saw me," Ana asked, running up behind me. "Never mind that. Which way is out?"

I skidded to a halt, then looked back and forth. "Uh..." I looked at a door which stood open on the other end. "This way!" I said as I dashed onwards. I thought that maybe the others had passed through and left the door open in their wake.

We reached the end of the hallway and turned into the room. It was a classroom, but no children were present, only an eight-foot-tall monster. The mutant looked at me and grinned, showing his awful, yellow, rotten teeth and fired a shot at me. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up as I backpedaled out of the room and into the hallway. A loud boom sounded as the mutant fired a single shot at me.

"Oh, fuck that!" Ana screamed as she nearly tripped trying to follow me.

We ran into a stairwell and sprinted up until we reached a point were some of the steps had collapsed. We took turns leaping over the gap, until we were both across safely, then continued upwards onto the second floor. Another classroom was just outside the stairwell, so we entered, hoping no more mutants were waiting on us.

I leaned against the wall, waiting for my rapid heart to slow. "Where is everyone else?" I asked breathlessly.

"Hell if I know!" Ana replied, brushing her hair back and panting. "The second we got through the doors everyone split up like a bunch of idiots!"

"You think Jo's okay?" I said as I looked around, the intensity of the moment not letting me think.

"He'd better hope so!" Ana said as she opened the door. "Come on, we've got to get out of here." She said as she took off down the hall again, towards a large hole in the wall.

I thought that there must be a better way down than climbing out of a two story window, with only a hill of rubble to get down on. Everyone else must have come a different way, so we should do the same.

Ana stopped and looked outside. "Holy shit," she mumbled, her voice rendered nearly inaudible by the surroundings.

Outside, we could plainly see the Galaxy News Radio plaza, and it was pretty much a war-zone. No less than eight mutants were assaulting the fortress-like building. The mutants shouted and hollered like madmen, while the power-armored soldiers tried to desperately to repel the invaders. Below us, the Lyons Pride emerged from the school building and fired at the mutants.

"Paul, you go!" Ana shouted, "I'm going to..."

I was unable to hear what she was going to say, as a mutant charged us from behind and tossed Ana and me from the window, onto the small hill of rubble. My shotgun went flying through the air as I lost my grip on it. I continued to roll downwards while Ana regained her footing.

By the time I reached the bottom I was a scraped up mess. Several new cuts had been opened, though none were very serious. I laid sprawled out on the pavement as Ana fired a shot from Orange directly into the super mutant's head.

He groaned as blooded spewed from his face, then collapsed and followed the same path I had taken. He tumbled down at me like a meat boulder, but I rolled out of the way just before he came to rest. Ana slid down the hill and extended a hand towards me. I took hold of it and she pulled me to my feet.

"Hey!" Josef exclaimed as he exited the school building through the lower door near us. "What's going on, guys?"

I grabbed the Bulldog from the ground and leaned against the wall. "Trying to survive," I replied, not picking up on his obvious attempt at making light of the situation.

Across the street, near the sandbags in front of the stairs, Sentinel Lyons had been engaged in close combat with one mutant, who was much burlier than the rest. She threw a heavy punch at the mutant's face, which didn't seem to do much other than disorienting him. It was enough for Sarah, though, who kicked the mutant in the kneecap with incredible force. His leg bent backward at an unnatural angle, and he collapsed to the ground. She picked up a large, metallic hammer like object from the ground and readied herself to swing it. Just as she began to swing, a fire was expelled from the back of the hammer and gave her attack much needed speed and force.

I turned my eyes from the impact, not wanting to see the end result of it, and proceeded in another direction, towards the sandbags. I covered my head as I sprinted across the plaza. Stray bullets whizzed by my head, but none actually hit me. Once I reached cover, I leaped behind it and sat down. There was a Brotherhood Knight already there, who simply stared at me, wordless. I gave him a quick, awkward smile and stood back up to survey the chaos.

Josef had remained amidst the chaos, firing rapidly at any remaining enemies, while Ana had taken a position outside of the mess and fired on one of the mutants who tried to flee.

I was about to count myself lucky that I had survived long enough to reach my position, and the battle was just about over when the ground shook slightly.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself as the ground shook again. The same rhythmic shaking continued and grew in intensity with each second.

The Brotherhood had finally defeated the last few mutants and were also beginning to notice the quaking. They looked around at the area, trying to find the source of the shaking, but they also were unsure.

It grew more powerful until it finally was upon us. An earth moving roar shattered the moment's reprieve we had. A large, wrecked bus that had blocked a road leading to the plaza exploded suddenly as if struck by a meteor, and one of the Lyons Pride was sent flying.

Debris and smoke filled the air, making it nearly impossible to see, let alone breathe. I tried to catch a glimpse of what cause the explosion, and was met with a monster far worse than an average super mutant. It looked very much like one, but was much more deformed, and was absolutely massive. He was nearly the size of a building and wielded a large metal beam for a weapon. Several skulls, human and otherwise, were hung on him like ornaments. Shopping carts and car pieces were used as makeshift armor, and it appeared a few large explosives were strapped to his back, such as a small missile, a miniature nuclear warhead, and several grenades.

He was a behemoth, and he was built for war.

"Behemoth! Everyone, move!" Sentinel Lyons shouted. Everyone, minus me, unleashed all their weaponry on the giant. He shrugged off the tiny bullets and lasers, almost as if he didn't feel them at all.

Josef sprinted towards my location and jumped over the sandbags, landing next to me. He fumbled with his submachine gun, trying to reload it.

"I don't think that's going to kill that thing!" I shouted as the behemoth continued to wreak havoc on the Brotherhood.

"Well, what the fuck are we supposed to do?" Josef shouted as a large rock slammed into the wall we were facing.

I peered over the sandbags and took notice of what the Lyons Pride was doing. All of them were trying to inch their way toward the globe statue in the center of the plaza where a member lay dead. Next, to him, a launcher of some sort was thrown to the side. It was a beast of a weapon, but I really didn't grasp how much so at that moment

"I'm going to run for that thing!" I shouted and pointed at the globe statue. "Right now, before I come to my senses!" I said as I sprinted out from behind the bags and down the stairs.

The run to the center of the plaza was very short, but it felt like an eternity with all the chaos happening around me. I dodged rocks and larger boulders that showered the area with every impact of the Behemoth's hammer. One slam threw me off balance, and almost sent me to the ground as I neared the launcher.

Sentinel Lyons turned her head and caught me lifting the launcher, which had the name, "fat man" printed on its side. She shouted for everyone to get out of the way as I finally hoisted the fat man to my shoulder. There was a small nuke already loaded into it, ready to fire.

I wobbled back and forth as I tried to aim at the rampaging Behemoth. I was already regretting even attempting such a stunt, but it was too late at that point. I finally steadied myself and placed my finger on the trigger.

"Suck on this!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I pulled the trigger, and the launcher screamed. The force of the launch knocked me off my feet and sent me backward against the globe statue. The mini-nuke whistled ominously through the air, almost lazily. It finally collided with the mutant, straight in his chest, where it burst into a fireball, larger than any I had seen so far. All of the Behemoth's explosives were set off as well. The whole world shook violently from both the explosion and as the mutant, or, what was left of him, dropped to the ground. He was mostly just legs, as his torso was a torn to shreds, entirely unrecognizable.

My head was still spinning, and my ears ringing from the sheer force of the nuke launcher. I slowly began to realize that such power was contained in such a small package and that it was nothing compared to the explosions that shattered the world centuries ago.

"Good job, Paul!" Ana shouted as she ran over to me. She was grinning excitedly from both the relief of our newfound safety, as well as the absolute devastation the mini-nuke had wrought. "I've never seen anything like that! I kind of wish I could've been the one shooting." she paced back and forth, then looked back at me, still on the ground. "What's wrong?"

I still didn't want to get up from the ground, so I had sprawled out to a more comfortable position. It took all my courage to look up and say with the utmost honesty, "I've been on the ground so many times today that I think I'm starting to find it relaxing."

Sentinel Lyons approached Ana and me, while Josef conversed with a few of the Brotherhood soldiers that had exited the building.

"Sentinel," I said, trying to appear confident, despite still lying on the ground.

"Well, I guess you're not completely helpless," she said and crossed her arms. "I as beginning to wonder after the way you stayed in the back the whole time."

I stood up and brushed off a few pebbles and huffed. "What do you mean, helpless?" I replied, puffing out my chest.

Sarah was not impressed. "I mean you're not much help in a fight. Your friend over there is," she said as she pointed to Josef, "but you spend too much time running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Don't get me wrong, you had enough initiative to take out the Behemoth, but that was it." she explained, waving her hands and pointing at the ground. "You have my thanks for that, but that doesn't change the fact that fear controls your actions."

I felt like the wind had been let out of my sails. I had just shot down a two story high mutant, and someone had decided to ruin the moment for me.

"You're soft, you're new to all this, but that's no excuse for not defending your friends and hiding." she continued, but I wasn't about to hear another word.

I swung my fist at Sentinel Lyons face, who stepped effortlessly out of the way. Sarah swept one armored leg at my feet and sent me falling to the ground. I hit the ground, and she placed her boot on my back before I even knew what happened.

"Fuck you." I spat out, while Lyons shook her head.

"Well, color me impressed. You do have some fire in you after all. Or you could just be stupid." Sarah remarked as she scrubbed her foot on my back. "Regardless, you're picking the wrong fight. I'm not your enemy, I was just making an observation, one that you'd do well to listen to."

I wriggled on the ground, but she had me pinned. I felt like the weight of her boot was crushing me, but she wasn't even putting much force on it.

"Toughen up kid. You said you came from the vault, well, sorry to say, this ain't the vault anymore. Watch how your friend does and pay attention out here. You'll be fine I'm sure." she explained as she removed her foot from my back. I could see in full view the dirt on the bottom of her boots as she walked away.

I got back up. "Stupid bitch," I grumbled. "I'm not helpless." I defensively replied, despite not being loud enough for her to hear me. I had helped in Tenpenny Tower. I killed plenty of ghouls there and even killed their leader, not that she knew about that. I continued to tell myself that she was wrong, but she had made a fair point after my performance that day.

"Look, Paul," Ana said, grabbing my vest and holding me back as I tried to storm off. "She only saw you today. You've been helpful before. You're just learning, I can see that." she reasoned. "Just, keep trying, okay?" she said and offered a simple smile. "Josef and me, uh, I, will be behind you all the way."

Ana had said some nice words to me, but it didn't really ease my anger. I was still fuming over Sarah's comments. The worst part was that she made a good point.

"C'mon, let's just go inside," I said curtly. I marched up to the front doors of Galaxy News Radio, where Josef had been waiting.

"Hey, man. I was wondering when you were going to get over here. Let's go, I want to meet this Three Dog guy, he sounds pretty cool on the radio." Josef chattered.

"Yeah, I hope so," I said plainly.

We entered the building, which looked more like a military installment the farther we went in. A Paladin waved us upstairs, so we proceeded.

"We've already told Three Dog you're coming. He's waiting upstairs." The Paladin explained as he opened the door for us. "Go ahead."

Three Dog's studio was dimly lit in an almost dramatic manner. He was a radio personality, so it would be expected for him to portray himself as the influential person he believed himself to be. We neared a large room filled with dials, buttons, and switches. I assumed it must have been the broadcasting room.

"The look on your face says it all." A deep, slightly nasally voice said from the darkness. "You're wondering who the heck this guy is and why you should care. Well, prepare to be enlightened."

A spotlight flicked on and revealed a large leather chair sitting amidst what was once darkness. There was a loud squeak, and the chair spun around smoothly. In it sat a man, his eyes hidden behind dark tinted glasses and a bandanna around his head. He grinned charismatically and began to speak once again.

"I am Three Dog jockey of discs and teller of truths. Lord and master over the finest radio station to grace the wastes." the radio man explained, his voice filled with power. He raised his hands in the air as if presenting the room itself. "Galaxy News Radio!" he exclaimed with pride.

"Get a load this guy, Paul," Ana whispered in my ear.

"And you, well... I know who you are." Three Dog continued, unaware of my unimpressed friend. "Heard about you leavin' that Vault, travelin' the unknown." Dog said with moving his hand as if moving it over the wastes. He then sat once again in his chair and stroked the small amount of hair on his chin. "Just like dear old Dad, hmm? Met him already..." he said ominously.

I was caught off guard by the clairvoyant Three Dog. He had somehow known about my hasty exit from the vault, as well as knowing who my father was already. I hadn't even spoken a word to the man yet.

"How did you know I came from the vault? How did you know I was looking for my dad?" I asked urgently. "Is he here? Where is he?" I demanded to know.

"Easy, easy." Three Dog said coolly. "One thing at a time." He said, reclining in his chair. "I'll start with the most important question first. No, your dad isn't here, he's gone already." Three Dog assured. "I know you came from the vault because the boys from the Brotherhood outside told me so, and I can tell you're looking for your dad just by looking at you. You're the spitting image of the guy."

The fact that Three Dog had already met my dad really put me in a hurry. "Well, where is he? I need to find him, now!" I exclaimed.

"Jesus, kid, you need to slow down." Three Dog remarked.

"Tell me now!" I demanded.

"Calm down! You're going to blow a gasket with that kind of intensity." he insisted. "Look, kid, I know you're ready to find him, but you really need to listen." He explained and made a motion to a chair next to a wall. "Have a seat, you've come to a far piece today, haven't you?"

"Alright, alright. Sure, I'll stay a bit." I begrudgingly sat down in agreement with Three Dog. "Yeah, it's been a pretty rough day. I just..." I rubbed the sides of my face. "I just want to find my dad."

"I get it, I do." Three Dog made a motion to Josef and Ana to go elsewhere, presumably so he and I could speak in private. "Running yourself ragged isn't going to make dad happy, though. Speaking of dad, though, I thought he left you in the vault?" the DJ inquired. "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I had to leave," I said plainly.

Three Dog raised an eyebrow.

"I did. The Overseer wasn't too thrilled at my dad's leaving. He was going to kill me, I think." I explained. "I'm pretty sure he wanted to. He had a gun pointed at me."

"Damn, guess it isn't all sunshine and rainbows down there, is it?" he laughed.

"It was before. Before all this shit happened it was. It was life at least." I thought, reminiscing on my past in the underground shelter. "Dad left, and I was pretty much evicted as well, so I figured that I may as well chase him down since I'm out here."

Three Dog had remained very quiet throughout my explanation. He was, no doubt, thinking about what he had in store for me.

"Seriously, though, if you know anything about where he went. Please, just tell me." I begged.

Three Dog put on a stern face as if he were unsure if he wanted to speak. "Y'know, kid,"

"Paul." I interrupted.

"Paul." he corrected himself. "I like you," he said lightheartedly. "Yeah, your dad stayed here for a while, we talked about things. He wanted to know what was what and who was who out here, so I pointed him in the right direction. He was a pretty good guy, kind of like yours truly."

"And?" I asked impatiently.

"That's it. He mentioned a lot of science mumbo-jumbo that I didn't really understand that well, but he was honest, determined. More so than most wastelanders out here are, unless you've got some food they want." Three Dog said in a very complimentary tone to my father. "I can see that same kind of determination in you, too. Not quite as strong, but there."

"I appreciate the comments, but how does that help me find him?" I asked, growing impatient once again.

"It doesn't. I just wanted to let you know what I think of him and you." Three Dog leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. "I'm going to level with you, Paul. I need help."

I could feel myself already dreading what he was going to ask about. "What is it?" I asked, hesitantly.

Three Dog stood up and placed his hands behind his back. "You see this radio station, Galaxy News Radio, it's...it's important." he began "GNR is my life. It allows me to speak to all the children of the Capital wastes, wherever they might be." Three Dog explained. "Or at least, it used to." he continued, his voice sounding irritable of a sort. "Let me tell you a story. You've met the Frankensteins in the ruins already. They seem smart to you?"

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. "No, not really. Strong, but stupid. Like the only thing on their mind is to shoot, kill."

"And eat, don't forget that," he added. "But moving on. Y'see, there's an antenna dish sticking out of the Washington Monument way out in a place called the Mall. It's through a couple of tunnels. The dish is pretty shiny, so one of the muties sees it one day, and has a bright idea. Shiny object, he's got a gun, so..."

"Swiss cheese now?" I interrupted.

"You got it. Bastards shot up the thing and now my radio broadcast isn't reaching the rest of the local wasteland. People need hope to keep fighting the good fight, and if they can't hear my voice...well."

"So you've got a radio dish in need of repair. Sorry, but you're asking the wrong person, I have no idea how to fix it."

"But you are able to move around freely." Three Dog added.

"And by that you mean?"

"The boys and girls here in the Brotherhood, they've got strict orders to stay here and protect me. Can't move an inch without HQ telling to do so. I need a free agent, or three. You and your friends are those free agents." he said, pointing in my direction and then towards another room where Josef and Ana were waiting. "I've got a way to fix the radio dish, it's real simple. You see, right there in the Mall, there's a bunch of pre-war museums. One is about technology, and wouldn't you know it, there's a dish, exactly the kind we're looking for inside. Should be on an old lunar lander."

"So that's it?" I asked in disbelief of the simplicity. "Just make a run to the museum, take a tour and rob the place?"

"Yeah, that's it," he said unconvincingly. "You think you can do it?" He asked.

I smirked. "Absolutely. But before I agree to it, what are you doing for me?"

"You get to find out where dear old dad went. How's that sound?" Three Dog said, then stretched out on gloved hand to me.

I stood up and shook his hand. "Sounds like a deal." I agreed.

Three Dog laughed gleefully at our deal. A dish for my dad. I believed it to sound fair, so of course, I agreed without much protest. The job sounded quite simple in my head, but nothing ever is, not like you'd think.

Three Dog was very accommodating. He allowed us to shack up in the radio station for the night and even treated us to a meal. He said that we were much better company than the usual soldier types that brushed through.

I thought to myself as we all tried to sleep. Sarah's words had cut deep, and I was still fuming inside. I tossed and turned a good portion of the night, trying to think of how I would prove her wrong. Eventually, I came to a conclusion. The next morning, I would take the lead, spearhead the operation, and fall behind. Any threats that we may meet, I would personally deal with, with all my experience in the wasteland, and show everyone that I was not to be trifled with.

I would never be dead weight again.

Never.


	13. Out of Reach

Chapter Thirteen

Out of Reach

 _~ September 1, 2277 ~_

I've always heard in fictional stories, from fictional heroes or sages that everything happens for a reason. Do not mistake this for reality, though, despite how convincing and poetic it may sound. I cannot refute this fully, but what I can tell you is that circumstances often align themselves in a way that makes them appear fated. The truth of the matter is that several points in our lives have nary a reason, and the circumstances were purely chance. Furthermore, the chances of one event or another are impossible to predict, and you'd rather not bother yourself trying, trust me. Simply accept what is, as fact, and save yourself the worry. In the end, we can really do nothing to change most of what has already taken place.

We are always running forward, blinded and screaming about our strength to control our lives, unable to know what awaits us just steps away.

I was, at least.

The next morning, the day of our journey to the Museum of Technology, I awoke with much enthusiasm. I had stewed over Sentinel Lyons words for a good portion of the night, and they had given me some much-needed motivation. I had decided, without anyone else's input of course, that I would no longer be a burden on anyone. A noble goal, surely, but one naively made and only made to cover a selfish desire in its core.

That morning would mark my new life, one where no one would be able to insult my abilities. They would only speak of how well I handled myself in a crisis and my bravery. I wanted to appear better than I was, and they would know it.

That's what I remember thinking, but honestly, my true motives are a mystery to me now. I may have also wanted to protect the helpless, people who would've found themselves in my situation, but time would render me forgetful. It would, at least, in this one instance. I have a reason, though.

I began my morning by planning out a route for Josef, Ana and me to take with Three Dogs maps. We would exit out the back of Galaxy News Radio, then continue down to the streets where we could enter a car tunnel. Beyond that, we were to enter another tunnel, which would take us through another metro and into the Mall. The museum would hardly be much trouble to reach from there, and I imagined we could return, the dish installed on the Washington Monument, by sundown.

I resented the fact that Three Dog was taking advantage of the situation, to be honest. All I wanted to know was where my dad had gone, and the more I thought about it, the more unfair the trade seemed. I was to risk life and limb, fix a radio broadcasting system, just for Three Dog to say four or five sentences, max. I had already agreed to the job, and as much as I wanted to turn around and walk out the door for good, I had no other leads on my father. I really had no choice, and Three Dog knew that. He was shrewd, I'll give him that.

We, ahem, _relieved_ , the Brotherhood of Steel of a few MREs and a small amount of ammunition and prepared to leave, but Josef had something on his mind.

"Before we go," he began, just as we had begun to descend the stairs leading to the back exit. "I know we've made it this far, but let's really be on our guard out there today. Not many people go to the Mall, even less than the regular parts of the ruins."

"You ever been there?" I asked, checking to make sure I loaded my weapons correctly.

"Yeah," he replied. "Once. I went with a couple of guys I used to travel with, they were pretty tough. We played it smart and avoided wide open areas, though. Mostly, the big one smack in the middle. You'll know what I mean when we get there."

"What happened to the other guys?" Ana asked, twisting the door knob and holding it open for both of us.

"Eh, we had some disagreements. About things. We went our separate ways, and it was fine with me." Josef explained in a very dry tone, almost devoid of any attachment.

I was about to pry a bit further, but we had entered into the open air once again.

Just behind Galaxy News Radio was virtually a cliff. Several, really, that were a few feet lower than the former. It appeared that GNR had once been part of a much larger building, but it had collapsed onto a roadway below.

I looked over the cliffs and grimaced. I hated climbing on things, especially things that look unstable.

Ana walked over to the ledge and squatted down. She observed the rubble jutting upwards, as well as outwards. "All right, it doesn't look like too far of a drop. I think we can use some of the rubble to lower ourselves down. Just don't put too much weight in one spot."

She began by carefully easing down off the ledge towards a boulder a few feet away. Ana wriggled her foot, and stretched to reach it, then pushed off the ledge she was still hanging from. Balancing on the rotund, yet lumpy object, Ana stepped over to another pile of rocks with several steel rods poking out the side of it. She was nearly at the bottom of the first cliff, and proceeded downwards once more, onto the floor below.

"Okay, just follow what I did and you should be fine," Ana called out from below. "Everything felt pretty sturdy, but take it slow just in case, m'kay?"

I started down next, at the behest of Josef. I groaned in protest but still began to lower myself down since we really didn't have time to waste. I tried to follow Ana's lead. First to the boulder, then to the pile of rocks, but that's where I got tripped up. I placed my foot to close to the edge and ended up being off balance. I waved my arms back and forth, trying to steady myself, and really not in the mood for another fall. I had spent the previous day doing just that, and I was already tired of it. I cut my losses and jumped down to the floor, landing flat on my feet. My legs stung from the impact, but I preferred that over landing on my head.

I looked up to Josef, who was still on the ledge. "Your turn! Mind your feet, too!" I advised.

He descended with relative ease, as compared to me, and joined Ana and me on the lower floor.

Two more drops awaited us, but after the first, they were much easier to deal with. We would look for a closer foothold, then continue downwards until we were safely on the ground. Once we had reached the bottom of the building, we were able to reach the underpass and enter the car tunnel. It was very similar to the metro tunnels: dark, and with a few ghoulish residents but much less dangerous than our previous adventure underground.

Once we exited the car tunnel, there was a short hill, which led to an intersection. A metro tunnel entrance was easily visible. I was not particularly thrilled at the thought of going into the darkness of the tunnels after I had such a harrowing experience just the day before, but I was to do anything for my father.

The metro entrance was almost identical to the other one, but the tunnels were in a different layout. It was to be expected since those tunnels were going to a different destination than the ones we had been through previously.

"So, you guys think this is a little less scary than last time?" Ana said, wringing her hands nervously. "I mean, it wasn't really that bad until the mutant showed up, but it did have an air of creepiness that was there before."

"I'd say it's passed. I guess it's because we know what to expect this time." I reasoned. "But never mind that, I've been meaning to ask you something since yesterday."

"Mm-hm?" Ana hummed. "What is it?" She continued down a stairway to the

"What was the deal with talking so much crap about me when the Brotherhood had us on the ground?" I demanded to know.

Ana rubbed her arm in an apologetic way. "I didn't, uh, really mean any of it. I really run my mouth sometimes when I'm nervous. I thought, y'know, that they'd let us go if we appeared really helpless. That was my reasoning"

"I can't say that I follow that logic you have there," Josef added from behind me. He poked at a dead rad roach on the ground, then made a gross-out face. "If they were out to kill us, or eat, then they would've seen us as easy food."

"Well!" Ana started, embarrassedly. "I wasn't thinking about it! My mind was running all over the place!" she explained in a hurried tone. She fumbled with Orange, and eventually dropped it on the ground, then quickly picked it up.

"Easy, I'm not mad or anything!" I assured the distraught woman. "I just wanted to know if, well, that's what you think of me." I continued as we entered into absolute darkness. A bit of dust fell from the ceiling above and coated me in a nice layer of soot. "We haven't known each other for long, but I feel like I haven't properly proven to you that you can trust me." I brushed myself off and shook my head to get the dirt off, some of it, anyway. I was so dirty from merely being in the wasteland. I was clean for a wastelander for sure, but not for a vault dweller. You're pretty much squeaky clean at all times in there. "Or at least, you can't trust me to have your back."

"No, no, no!" Ana said, waving her hands in front of her. "I trust you, I know you've got some fire in you. I mean, you don't even seem to care that I'm partially ghoulified." She said and pointed at the rugged places on her face and neck. "That alone makes you pretty cool in my book. And you did pretty well in Tenpenny Tower, not the best, but you are about as good as an average wastelander." Her face lit up after that as if she had an epiphany. "That's it! You're average! That's the right word."

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically.

The tunnels in the metro station were much easier to navigate that time. None of the tunnels had collapsed or blocked by a train. It sped our journey up exponentially, and I for one was grateful that we didn't have to go any deeper than we already were.

"So what do you think, Josef?" I asked my friend, who had proceeded a bit further down the tunnel, barely visible.

"Really, man?" he asked as if he weren't really sure why I was asking such a question. "Something up? This is kind of out of character for you."

"I just want to know where I stand with the people I'm traveling with."

Josef let out an exhausted and quite lengthy sigh. "You're just learning. I can't expect much out of you just yet."

"That's avoiding the question." Ana chimed in.

Josef stopped in his tracks and turned around.

Ana placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows.

"Well, I'll be damned. You've got me there," he said and smirked a bit. "Paul, if you want my honest opinion, here it comes," he said as if he were winding up a forceful punch. Josef rubbed his hands together and placed them in front of his mouth. He slowly took them away in a fashion that insinuated he was deeply engrossed in his thoughts. "You're really improving, but you still suck in a pretty big way. I'm saying that as a friend, though."

I watched as he began to walk again. "That's it?" I asked disappointedly.

"You've got a lot of heart?" he added. "Look, I think you've still got some things to work through. Everyday threats still freak you out a bit, but you're getting better. Just keep doing what you're doing and I'll make a badass out of you yet." he concluded.

I didn't really want to continue the conversation any further, so I remained silent. They meant well, but neither of them was very helpful, to be honest. I had hoped for some specific pointers, just some to help speed me down the road to getting better, but I don't think they had any.

I still considered myself lucky that I had met two decent people in a world where everyone is out for themselves. Josef and Ana had become special people to me in a short amount of time.

I wouldn't dare have told them that, though.

We didn't have much farther to go in the metro tunnels, so we pressed on at a brisk pace. Near the end of the tunnels, we had a situation with a few feral ghouls, but they had become quite easy to deal with since the smaller of noises would distract them from our presence. I personally had dealt with them, hoping to impress my companion. I don't believe it did, but that was fine. I was sure there would be more opportunities in the near future.

While we continued until to approach the surface once again, ominous echoes, relentless bangs, and booms filled the corridors. Soon we exited the metro tunnels and came into to a wide open area. Sunlight had barely begun to reach us and the sound of gunfire was deafening. I was already on edge, but the obvious weapon use filled me with dread, or curiosity, in a way.

Before I continue, I must reveal something to you. Our first excursion into the Mall is a bit hazy for me, so do bear that in mind as I continue. No, I am not getting forgetful due to age. That's hardly a problem for someone such as myself.

The place we had emerged into, I had seen pictures of it in the textbooks Vault 101 used in history class. It looked nothing like it once had, but it was still recognizable. The once large grassy area of the Mall had given way to rolling dirt hills and trenches. It had been such a busy area and a great place for tourists. Monuments that were once part of a fantastic display of masterful architecture had now fallen into disrepair. It was beautiful before, but just like the rest of the wasteland, it was an empty shell of what it once was.

The most unnerving thing about the Mall, though, was not the status of national monuments, but the battlefield appearance it had taken on.

I stepped out of the gate, up the steps leading from the metro tunnel entrance and took in the surrounding.

"What the heck is going on in this place?" I asked as I twirled around in disbelief. Continued sounds of weaponry, both distant as well as close by drowned my thoughts in an auditory assault. "He said it would be simple. He said nothing about a war going on here!"

"Shit." Ana cursed as she looked around as well. "It sounds like a war's going on out here!" she shouted, struggling to compete with the firing.

Josef had already covered his ears and looked to me. "Did Three Dog say anything about military training out here?"

"What kind of training would the military be doing out here? A re-enactment of the Battle for Anchorage?" I shouted in response. I began to cover my ears as well, wanting relief for just a moment.

Josef held one hand over his eyes, shielding them from the sun. "Well, I guess that's the monument, right? Washington?" he said rhetorically and pointed to the tower standing tall among the ruins.

I didn't pay him much attention, my mind was still drawn elsewhere. "Something stinks about this whole thing!" I shouted in response to the high degree of danger around us.

In truth, even if Three Dog had told me more about the situation in the Mall, I still could have never prepared. The state of the Mall was something I would have never imagined, nor could I even believe. Despite that, I was determined to lead my friends and me on our quest. I had to, or else I could never prove Sentinel Lyons wrong.

I walked out into the streets and looked around, immediately feeling more out of place, my ears ringing from the deafening noises. Josef and Ana followed close behind me, keeping a lookout for whoever was causing the sounds, while I tried to search out our destination. There was so much rubble lining the roadways and so many dirt hills in the center that I had a difficult time seeing anything much farther down the road.

We progressed a fair way from the metro exit, or entrance, as it were, and I still could not see the Museum of Technology. I was beginning to lose hope. It was so loud and I couldn't concentrate, and I was feeling a sense of dark foreboding about the noisemakers. Ahead of us, there was a point in between the buildings, a rather large place. I thought that maybe we could rest there for just a moment, and perhaps collect our thoughts.

I was wrong. Dead wrong.

The world seemed to slow as I rounded the corner and finally understood why Three Dog was so hesitant, so nervous, to ask me to undertake his mission.

There were Super Mutants, at least nine, all huddling around a fire, roasting a human being like a rotisserie chicken. The man, or woman (it was impossible to tell) was long dead, of course, the poor soul. Bags of gore, ripped flesh and limbs, still dripping with blood, were hung from poles in a sick display, or even storage method. One mutant had recently taken a bite to eat, as his face was covered in muck and human remains.

I immediately vomited and felt my entire body turn cold. My vision was blurred, and my breathing was heavy. I began to shake violently, and I couldn't move. It was easily one of the most or horrifying things I have ever seen in my life.

My display was noticed very quickly. The resident mutants all turned their gaze to me, grinning wildly, almost in disbelief of their luck. Each mutant picked up their weapon of choice, whether it was a nail board, a large hunting rifle, or an assault rifle, and began to approach me slowly. I wonder if, they too, thought their eyes were playing tricks on them.

Josef grabbed my bag and dragged me back around the corner with all of his might. I nearly fell to the ground, but he wouldn't let me.

"Fuck, man! We have to run!" he shouted, his voice cracking in terror. "We have to fucking run!" he yelled once again as he pulled me forward.

My mind was on autopilot as I ran after him and Ana. I wasn't even paying attention, stumbling over every bump in the road as Josef turned his head around every few seconds, his face already sickly pale. I don't know what he saw behind me, really. I never turned around.

I didn't want to turn around.

Bullets tossed dust and dirt into the air as the mutants missed every shot. Ahead, there was a partially collapsed building blocking some of the streets. It was a bit of a hill, but definitely not a wall, or anything that would impede our escape. My feet hit the rubble full force, nearly sending me to my face due to the sudden, sharp incline. I leaped over a bit of concrete, still focused on the path in front of me.

I could only imagine that the mutants were right behind us, maybe even reaching their hands out, preparing to close their grip around me.

Ahead of me, Ana stopped at the door of a building and kicked on it with all of her might. She was grunting loudly as she kicked it repeatedly, desperately. Finally, the door gave way and she dashed inside, making a motion for Josef and me to follow.

Josef turned sharply, skidding slightly, then entered in behind her. "Come on!" he shouted to me.

I jumped inside as he and Ana slammed the door shut. I looked around the room quickly and chose a large desk to push in front of the door. "The desk!" I shouted to them, and they understood. I scrambled to my feet and got behind the desk to push it. It was too heavy for me, so my friends got behind it as well. Our combined strength made it possible, and we barricaded ourselves in.

We had gained a moment's respite, thought it seemed like an eternity. My mind was racing as I tried to piece together everything that had just happened.

Ana was hunched over, her hands on her knees. "What the hell is this place?" she said breathlessly.

I was still shaking, barely able to comprehend how things had gotten out of control so quickly. "This is a mistake, this was a mistake," I repeated as I paced around the room. "Why didn't he tell us about this?" I asked myself as the mutants arrived outside and began beating their fists and guns on the door.

The wood splintered, and one pushed his face into the hole he had made. There was no place to hide, he had seen us before we could see him. He grinned and let out a gleeful shout, then continued beating on the door.

Ana screamed loudly and tried to fire a shot at the mutant, only to miss and hit the wall. It may have gone through and wounded one outside, but I couldn't tell with all of the chaos.

Inside the room, there was a staircase. I decided that the best place to go was up, as there had to be a way out somewhere. Without a word, I sprinted up the stairs, skipping about two steps with every bound.

They were creaky, old, wooden steps that were ready to fall at any moment, and I could only pray that they wouldn't. We continued upwards, onto another flight of stairs, and another until the flights stopped.

The mutants had already broken the door and were entering the building as we reached the top floor.

Josef, Ana and I left the stairs and were in a hallway. There were several doors on each side of the hallway, and for a moment I thought of hiding in them. It was a bad idea of course, so I didn't even bother saying it out loud. Our only choice was to go forward, down the hall and see what awaited us.

The loud, thunderous footsteps of the mutants were already approaching the top of the stairs, so we had broken into a full sprint. My legs were aching, I was drenched in sweat and my lungs were on fire, but I continued to run with every ounce of energy I had.

Eventually, we reached the end of the hall, a dead end. There was only a window. It was a large one, easily able to see the wonderful view of the brick building next door.

Ana began to scream in despair. "What the fuck do we do now?!" she screamed and grabbed me by the bag straps.

There was no time to think logically, I had to make a split-second decision. I would hate myself for saying it, but I looked at the window and shouted. "Out that! Jump out and into the window next door!"

Both of them looked at me, then looked behind me, and decided that it was their only choice.

We opened the window, or knocked it out, then shot out the one in the next building over. Josef jumped first, as he was easily the strongest out of the three of us. He grabbed the edge of the window and pulled himself up. He made a motion for either of us to go next.

Ana was second. She held out her hand to Josef as she began to fall, who grabbed it tightly, then pulled her up. She was safely across.

I was next. I swallowed hard, a lump forming in my throat.

The mutants were behind me, screaming like horrors from the darkest places, ready for my blood. I was cursing endlessly at myself, at the situation, and at Three Dog, who had sent on that ill-fated quest. There was nowhere to hide, only a place to run.

I braced myself. I told myself that I was still ready to do anything to find my dad. I had come too far to give up, too far to die at the hands of mutated monsters.

I remember running with all of the strength I had remaining towards the window, my heart racing wildly. My footsteps were heavy and tired, but still full of fire, full of a desire for life.

I remember leaping out of the window, the wind blowing my hair back like a nice breeze would. Somehow, it had a sense of peace, like the sort that I imagine was present before the first bombs of the Great War burst. The silence of the moment itself was deafening in a way, not the gunfire coming from around me.

I remember seeing the window of the building above me, Josef reaching out his hand, horrified. He was so far away, it seemed, yet light years apart.

I remember Ana holding him back so he wouldn't fall, tears already streaming down her rugged face, her sandy hair almost covering her eyes. It had become more unkempt as the day had gone on, but I assumed she didn't pay it any mind.

I remember lying flat, looking up at the sky. The clouds were light and puffy. The window was far above me. Buildings were on either side of me. I tried to move my legs, but they didn't listen. The world had grown darker than it once was, and, in a strange way, quieter.

I remember seeing my two friends disappear from the window, until Josef poked his head out again, then never again.

I remember being dragged away, deep, guttural voices mumbling as I lost all feeling, one final thought running across my mind:

Dad, help me.


	14. Imprisoned

Chapter Fourteen

Imprisoned

 _~ September 5, 2277 ~_

The first thing I remember upon regaining consciousness was the awful smell of decaying flesh filling my nostrils. The pungent odor was choking, especially to someone who had spent a length of time in a deep, endless sleep. I was lying on some sort of bed, a very lumpy and hard one at that. It was miserably humid, the air itself probably dripping with moisture, but still cold. I shivered a bit, as a chill ran up my spine.

"Shit, what the hell happened? Where on earth am I?" I thought to myself. I wondered, if only for a moment, that I had woken up in hell, but I immediately dismissed the idea.

All of the memories of my misfortune began to return to me, and the fear set back in. What had the mutants done with me, and was I still alive? I died, didn't I?

Yes. I did die.

No. No, I didn't die. I survived somehow. I almost wished I had died, though. Severe aches had begun to shoot up and down my entire body like lightning. Through gritted teeth, I groaned as the pain came in radiating waves, then began to ebb. It left my head throbbing and my heart racing, but no worse off than I already was.

My next thoughts turned to Josef and Ana. Had they escaped from the green-skins or were they too brought with me? Where had I been taken? Did they know? They had made the leap between the buildings, so they probably survived, somehow, and I...

Well, I hadn't. That much was pretty obvious. The result of the fall had made itself clear on my body, make no mistake. It felt like I had been hit by a bus, or what I imagine that must feel like, but miraculously survived.

There were too many questions swirling around in my head, and lying on a lumpy old mattress was going to answer none of them. I mustered all of my strength and tried to sit up.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy!" a woman's voice warned. She placed her hands gently on my shoulders, preventing me from moving in the slightest. "You don't need to be moving, just rest," she explained.

I tried to open my eyes, which felt as if they had been crusted shut, to catch a glimpse of who was holding me down. Dim lights, barely more than a glow, yet still very bright to me, nearly blinded me as I tried to adjust once again. I choked out a few words. "Who are you?"

She sighed. "Red. That's what they call me." The woman said plainly. "Now stop talking and just rest for a moment, there'll be plenty of time for that later. Gather your thoughts."

I followed her advice and allowed myself to fully absorb my situation. My eyes had finally adjusted enough to see in the dark room, enough to see the terrible conditions we were in. I was in a large, pen-like-room, more of a basement, really, complete with metal bars keeping us in. The floor was dusty and stained, obviously having not been cleaned in a very long time.

The woman sitting next to my bed was wearing a grungy red jumpsuit, big, thick spectacles and a red bandanna was tied around her head to match. She was covered in muck and grime like she hadn't had access to a proper amount of water to bathe with for quite a while. She still gave a half-hearted smile as she took notice of me staring.

"You woke up. This time all the way." She said in a congratulatory tone.

"I what?" I asked, sounding dumber out loud than in my head.

"You're actually awake!" She said, almost trying to assure herself that it was true. "You've been in and out for a while now. You'd say a few things every time, kind of like you were about to wake up for real, but then you'd just pass out again."

I had no recollection of waking up until that point, but I guess that was to be expected. "What did I...what did I say?" I mumbled.

"Pardon?" Red replied.

"What did I say?" I repeated, louder and much more clearly.

"Oh! Nothing that made sense." She said with another half-hearted smile. "I'm sorry. You were doing more babbling I guess. It was incoherent. Usually, you'd say a few names, one of them started with an 'A." Red made a face and tried to remember. "Amanda? No, that's not right. What was it?" She asked herself.

I knew who it was, and I felt guilty for not even thinking about her for so long. "Amata. I said that didn't I?"

"Yes! That's it. Who is Amata?"

It sounds stupid, but I really felt like crying after I heard her name. "She is, uh, was my best friend," I said, my voice cracking slightly. "She was my best friend. In the vault." I continued.

You know how you remember the most ridiculous things when you miss someone? That's exactly how I remembered Amata and the vault.

I really hadn't thought much about her in such a long time. So much was going on in the wasteland that I hardly had any time to reminisce about days long past.

There was a time when we were only ten years old that we spent a whole week searching for a secret comic book factory in Vault 101. My first idea was that Mr. Brotch, our teacher, was hiding the factory underneath the classroom and that there was a button underneath his desk that would open a secret hatch, leading deeper. We went in the classroom on a Saturday and combed the entire room for anything suspicious.

I had such a strange imagination of what was behind Mr. Brotch's desk. There could have been a bunch of food, or, maybe he lived under it, and was actually just a robot that shut down late at night when no one was around. I still would put my money on that last one, though.

There was nothing there, of course. Mr. Brotch had no secret button under his desk, and there was no hidden tunnel to a comic factory.

There wasn't anything behind the chalkboard, either. It was fun for me, but since we didn't find anything in the classroom, Amata suggested we search my dad's office. We tried, but he never left until very late at night, long after I had gone to sleep, so that was a dead end as well.

"Why don't we try _your_ dad's office?" I asked, already thinking that it was our best chance. "He knows more about the vault than anyone else, right?"

Amata shook her head vigorously. "No, no, no! We can't go in my dad's office! It's not allowed, off limits. He got really, really mad when I tried to go in without his permission."

"He's always mad at me. My dad, too, I guess." I added. "So it doesn't matter."

"Yeah, but you're always causing trouble."

"No, I'm not!"

"Yeah-huh!"

"Well, you're not perfect either!" I remarked.

Amata frowned. "Yeah, but..." She looked over her shoulder as if her father were watching us, which, for all I know, he was. "I don't wanna get grounded again. Every time we try to go in, I get in trouble."

"Aw, you're just scared!" I mocked.

"Yeah, I am! Of getting in trouble!" She replied. "Let's look through the rest of the vault first. We can look in there later, maybe he'll let us in for just a few minutes."

I huffed, upset about not having it done my way. "Fine. I doubt he'll do it, though. He doesn't like to have fun."

"Yeah, he does. Sometimes!" Amata defended. "He's just gotta be tough all day. He's in charge, so he has to stay strong for everyone, so no one will be afraid. He wants to keep everybody safe. Even me, too." Amata explained enthusiastically. "That's what he says, anyway."

I guess I had more sympathy for the man when I was a child because I remember feeling sorry for him, in a way. I did not understand fully what Amata meant about her father, but I offered some wisdom in my innocence.

"Being strong all the time must be hard," I replied to her, allowing the subject to be put to rest.

I was pulled back into reality by Red, who was waving her hand in front of my face. "Hey, hey, you in there?" She moved my arm a bit, which was a bit sore, but not so much as the rest of me. "C'mon, say something."

I looked around again, realizing that I had been deep in a daydream. The guilt of killing the Overseer returned, just as strong as it was last time I had dwelled on it. "Yeah. Yeah, I was just zoning out there. I'm still here. Sorry."

Red leaned back, obviously a bit relieved that I didn't just pass out again. "You were in pretty deep there, weren't you?" She removed her glasses, which I had not noticed were cracked until that point. "Were you thinking about anything specifically? Anyone?"

"No. Just thinking some happy thoughts," I replied.

"Hm. I guess while you're at it, think some for the rest of us." Red replied, her voice tainted by melancholy. "We all need it."

"We?"

Red stood up and let me take a look at the rest of the room, which was spotted with downtrodden people. They all wore an expression as if someone had written an expiration date on them, and it was only moments away. I had assumed that Red and I were the only ones in the dungeon, but I was wrong. There were four others. The atmosphere around me was thick with unease or perhaps terror, but not one of them would show how afraid they truly were.

"Some of them have been here longer than I have." She explained, looking over the whole room. "They don't even know how long it's been since they've been outside either, the poor things." Red sat back down in front of me. "But before we go talking about everyone else, I need to ask you a few questions, make sure all your gears are still turning up there."

"What about?" I asked, a bit worried.

"Just a few things about you. Make sure you can remember things all right." Red explained, placing her glasses back on her face. "First, what is your name?"

"It's Paul. Paul Carver." I replied, not even stumbling for a moment. "Is this really necessary?"

Red narrowed her eyes at me, then adjusted her glasses once again. "Yes. I can't exactly give you a brain scan, so you'll just have to humor me for a bit." She said, her voice stern. "It won't take long," Red assured. "Not that we're going anywhere." She cleared her throat and sat up a bit straighter, feigning a more official appearance. "Next question. Where are you from?"

"Vault 101," I said entirely serious.

Red shot me a look. "Really?"

"Absolutely. I lived there my entire life. Up until a few weeks ago, that is."

"Listen, if you don't take this seriously I can't give you an accurate..."

"I'm not lying. My dad and I both used to live there, but I left after he did." I interrupted. I lifted my Pip-boy arm and shook it in the air. "Where do you think I got this at? Grocery store?"

Red pursed her lips. "I see. Well, okay then."

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"I believe you. A little. Pip-boys are rare, but still available in the wasteland every now and then." Red sighed deeply and refocused. "Next question. How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

"That I can believe." she sarcastically replied, then chuckled to herself. "And what is your date of birth?"

"July 13, 2258."

Red patted her knees and looked around. "Welp, I guess that's it. You seem to be okay as far as I can tell. Now, if we can get the rest of your body to get back into the same shape, we'll be okay for a little while. How does it feel, anyway?"

"Everything hurts like hell. Feels like I got hit by a bus, then the damn driver put it in reverse and ran over me again. All in all, I guess I'll pull through."

"Hm, we'll see. What were you doing anyway that you ended up like this?" Red inquired with a tone that made me think she was expecting me to say something stupid.

"My friends and I were in the Mall. We were helping someone out when things went to shit. Super mutants. I think I..." I paused. I was actually having a spot of trouble recalling what had happened. "I fell."

"From what?" Red asked incredulously.

"We came to a dead end, and the only way out was to jump. My friends and I were going to jump to another window and keep going, but I guess I didn't make it." I related to Red. "The mutants must have got me afterward and brought me here. Where are we, anyways?"

"Germantown. We're in an old police station if you can believe it." Red said as if she had trouble believing it herself.

"Is that close to the Mall?" I asked, dreading the answer but still wanting to hear it.

"God, no. You're a long ways from there." Red stood up and walked out of my view. "I don't even know why they brought you all the way out here. Usually, they just eat people like you, but they dragged you up here for some reason."

I felt my heart sink as she continued to speak. Josef and Ana were probably under the impression that I was dead if they themselves had survived. They wouldn't even know where to look for me either. Would they even try, or just move on with their lives?

Red returned, my bag in her grasp. She gently let it down to the ground in front of me. "I figured you might be wondering where it was. Everything should still be there, I kept it safe for you."

I reached out and began to rummage through my belongings. Dad's note, Simm's badge, still crusted with dried blood, a few snacks, and some bullets. Everything was there but my stimpaks.

"I know what you're about to say. Yes, they're gone. Used them all just trying to keep you alive." Red explained with an impressive display of clairvoyance. "Count yourself lucky that you had them, or you wouldn't have made it. Even still, I was worried they wouldn't be enough. You could've been left crippled, brain damaged, which you could still be, or..." Red stopped. She looked at my expression. "I'll not bore you with the details, okay? Stimpaks kept you in one piece, but I used them all. Plain and simple."

"It's fine, I guess they served their purpose." I zipped up my bag once again and Red set it just above my head. "Thanks. Thanks for keeping me around. Saving me." I said, feeling a bit light headed.

"I'm a doctor, it's what I do." She said humbly.

I barely heard Red's reply before I felt myself drifting off to sleep once again. I was completely exhausted, and all I had done was sleep! I could practically hear Josef and Ana giving me shit for sleeping so much, but it wasn't one of my primary concerns at the time.

I awoke later, the dull aches plaguing my body once again, while the other prisoners gloomily laid about.

Red and I spoke for quite a while, myself still drifting between consciousness, and I told her all about my adventures after leaving the vault. I even told her a few stories from inside, but I didn't tell her about my exit.

I didn't want to think about it anymore.

I didn't want to think about Amata, either, not any more than I already did.

Finally, the topic of our imprisonment came up. I was still in the dark, no pun intended, about why were there. I thought that mutants only ate people and simply killed the rest, so why would they bother dragging me, along with others, to a dilapidated police station was difficult to understand.

"It doesn't fucking matter why they brought us here." A wastelander from across the room piped up. He had long, dirty hair that was draped over his face. His ragged overalls were full of holes and covered in stains. "They're just going to kill us in the end anyway."

"Shut the fuck up, Jonny." another woman commanded. "We don't need your negativity right now."

"You shut up, you're the one that got us in trouble in the first place," Jonny said venomously.

The woman opened her mouth, ready to respond, but held her tongue. "You're not worth it."

"And what does that make you?"

I was growing tired of their incessant bickering, so I decided to intervene. "Both of you shut up."

Jonny looked at me, and if looks could kill, then I would've been dead. "Don't you fucking dare you piece of shit. I'll come over there and stomp your head into paste if you talk to me like that again. Got it, bitch?" he threatened.

I didn't respond. I was too low on energy to pick a fight, especially since I probably couldn't even hurt the guy in my condition. I swallowed my pride and my next comment.

Jonny puffed. "Stupid kid. Think you can come in here and talk down to me. I shit bigger and scarier than you."

"Leave him alone, Jonny!" the woman shouted, "He can't even hurt you."

"What did I say?" Jonny said, springing to his feet. "What did I just say?!" He shouted back at the woman. "You say one more thing, J, and I'll make you eat your teeth."

"Shut up!" Red shouted, covering her ears. "We don't need this right now." she declared.

The few others in the pen agreed with grunts and amens.

Jonny whipped his head back and forth, feeling a bit insecure, and maybe outnumbered, then sat back down. He hurled a few more curses and didn't speak again for a long while.

"We don't even know who they're gonna take next," Red said out loud, then sank to the ground in despair. "We don't even know."

"They take people?" I said, fear building inside of me once again. "What do they do with them?"

"Hell if I know," Red replied in a defeated way. She ran her hands over her head, bristling her short hair. "They drag someone off every now and then, and we never see them again. They might just be doing that when they get hungry and didn't find anything outside."

"So we're leftovers," I said, realizing how little we meant to the monsters. "We're just morsels of food left for when the get lazy."

"That's what I think. It would explain why they keep us alive. They drop some food in here every now and then. That is, if they don't drag someone off, too. I really don't know for sure, though."

"Maybe they set people free?" I guessed, attempting to give hope, as unfounded as the idea was.

"Yeah, and I'm a magic wish-granting mole rat that spits out fancy lads snack cakes," Red said sarcastically.

"Yuck. Those things are nasty. The snack cakes, not the molerats." I said, another ache radiating over me. "Well, the mole rats, too, I guess."

We all sat in silence for a long while. Not one of us had anything to say, except Jonny.

Jonny was a piece of shit. Everyone knew it, especially me. Later that night, Jonny crept up on me as I slept.

He placed one hand over my mouth, preventing me from making a sound.

"Listen to me, you stupid fuck." He began, hatred dripping from his words. "Don't you ever cross me again. Don't even look at me. I'm only saying this once, because the next time," Jonny stopped and began to dig something from his pocket. He pulled a sharpened piece of metal and held it against my throat. "You won't have to worry about mutants anymore. Got it?" He said, the blade still pressed against my neck. I could feel it. It was cold and sharp, and he knew exactly how much pressure it would take to make me squirm.

I nodded, glaring at him with all the intensity I could manage.

 _~ September 7, 2277 ~_

The super mutants had not visited us properly since I had arrived, and for that much, I was thankful. One peeked in the room once, grinned his awful, rotten-toothed, grin, then left. I heard him chuckle as he went down the hall, his meaty footsteps squishing and splitting on the tile floor.

I was introduced to the other prisoners during the two days. Most of them were reputable people, just average wastelanders who met a terrible fate.

J, or Jackie, was the woman who had been arguing with Jonny the previous day. She was part of a group of "adventurers" as she put it. Anyone in the room could easily tell that she was a raider, though. She and Jonny were captured together while poking around inside an old grocery store.

Red was a doctor from a place called Big Town. She and a very diminutive fellow named Shorty were both friends. Super Mutants raided their settlement late one night and dragged them both off before anyone could gather themselves. She apparently earned her nickname as a child due to her preference of red clothing.

Shorty was a little man with a big mouth. He wasn't mean, not in the slightest, but he was a bit of a fireball. He would spit out quips about everyone, but he didn't mean anything by it. Perhaps it was a way of helping deal with his seemingly inevitable demise.

I'll let you guess how Shorty received his nickname.

Finally, there was an older man named Arthur. He had a long, tangled beard that had begun to turn gray. He had been there for quite a long time and considered himself lucky that he had survived for so long. Apparently, the last time he had seen the sun, it was shining down on freshly fallen snow. He had lived in a small settlement northeast of Megaton and had a daughter still living in the town. Arthur also happened to have been devising a plan for quite a while on how to escape the mutants and was close to executing it.

First, a volunteer would give themselves up to the mutants the next time they came to collect. As they were taken to their destination, they would make marks pointing out the path to the exit. Obviously, Arthur had trouble finding a volunteer, as it was a one-way trip.

In order to escape, the others would use a makeshift lock pick he had made from pieces of wire that several travelers had allowed him to use. Often times, no one would be skilled at lock picking, and they prisoners would run out of time before they could open the door. Why couldn't they just reach around the bars and pick the lock at any time, then make a run for it?

The jail was pre-war, and still had some of the pre-war security measures enabled. When the lock was picked, an alarm would sound, and alert the mutants. The super mutants all gathered in a room together when they took someone, so the escape would need to fast, accurate and above all, we would need to be lucky.

"So, what's the plan if we manage to get outside?" I asked during his explanation.

Arthur laughed, his smile covered by the thickness of his beard. "Run like you ain't never ran before." the old man chuckled to himself. "Hope the frankies don't catch you. You won't get another chance, that's for sure."

"The plan sounds ridiculous. It sucks." J added.

"You got a better one?" Shorty snapped. "Maybe you and sunshine over there have been holding out on us."

"Watch it, dwarf," Jonny called out from his spot across the room. "You want to get flattened?"

Shorty ignored the raider and focused on the task at hand. "Well, who can pick a lock?" Shorty asked, and stood up, which hardly made him any taller.

"I can," Jackie said with a sigh, raising her hand into the air. "Used to do it all the time. Picked up the habit when I was a kid. Look, I'll do it, try anyway, but this is still crazy."

"Alright, then J's on lock picking." Arthur agreed, whistling slightly with every "s."

Shorty stood and looked around at the rest of us as if waiting for someone to say something. "And?"

"And what?" I asked.

"Do I have to spell it out?" Shorty inquired, somewhat disappointed. "There's a big ass elephant in the room and we all know it." He began. "Who is going to be the sacrifice?"

No one answered. We all shot looks at one another, expecting one or another to say something.

I started to reason in my head why I should be the one to die. I was worse off than anyone else, and surely not as much help, for all I knew, I would be hobbling out, not running. If anyone were to give themselves up, it should have been me.

But was that the right thing to do?

Still, I had to find my dad. I had come so far, and I couldn't lie down and die, even if it put other people at risk. It was like I had been told: you had to take care of your own, and the rest can take care of themselves.

"I'll do it." Arthur piped up only seconds before I made my decision. "I'm an old bastard. I haven't seen the sun in so long, but it doesn't matter. The rest of you are too young to die in here."

"Well, that settles that!" Jonny said proudly, finally standing from his spot across the room and joining us. "The old fuck will die in our place and we'll bust out of jail."

"You're such a piece of shit, Jonny!" Jackie exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I'm going to be alive, ain't I?" He asked rhetorically, cackling gleefully.

We all brushed him off and went on about our business of waiting, not that there's much business in that. There wasn't anything else to do around the jail.

I, for one, wanted to know why Arthur desired to die for us. I waved him over, and he approached carefully, a slight wobble to his walk. He sat down, more or less with a flop, and let out a long, drawn out breath.

"Something on your mind, kid?" The old man grumbled, then cleared his throat.

"Why are you volunteering? Why not someone else?"

"Because none of these other poor shmucks are gonna do it." He said, adding a hearty laugh. When he noticed I was not laughing as well, the joy drained out of his expression. "You're serious, ain't you, kid. No, that's not really the reason." Arthur said, his voice low and depressed. "I'm not stupid. Old, but not stupid. I know..." Arthur began making before tears began to well up in his eyes. "I know there's nothing out there for me. I know my home's gone now, probably my daughter, too." He explained while his voice cracked. "Saw the whole place on fire while they dragged me away." Arthur placed his hands over his forehead. "Everyone I've known is probably dead, I know that. It's all I think about.

"But you don't know that," I argued. "Maybe they survived, and if they did, then you should have a chance at finding them again. You can't just give up, you have to keep fighting."

Arthur looked up at me. He offered a tired, defeated smile. "You're a good kid, Paul, but let's be realistic, here. Besides, I've been in here so long now, seen so many young people like you get dragged away to God knows where. Meanwhile, I hide in the corner, wondering when my number's going to be up." Arthur let out a long sigh and sat back. "It gets tiring, y'know? Watching people with so much life ahead of them get cut short. It's a wasteland life, sure, but it's better than nothing."

"But that doesn't make yours any less valuable." I retorted. "You deserve just as much chance to get out of here as the rest of us. Except for Jonny."

"Enough." He cut me off. "I've decided. Next time they come, they're coming for me." Arthur concluded.

I could tell there was no reasoning with Arthur. He was too worn down from the terrible conditions he had been facing for months, and he was ready to get out. I hated that I stopped trying to convince him, I really did, but he was immovable.

Whether I liked it or not, he was going to die.

 _~ September 8, 2277 ~_

The next morning, we were awakened by shouting. The day had come. I groggily opened my eyes and saw two super mutants standing in the doorway.

One jingled the keys and clumsily dropped them to the floor. The other laughed at his stupidity and waited to block the door.

Jackie had backed into a corner and was covering her head, obviously trying to hide from the mutants, while Red was hiding next to me. Jonny had his makeshift knife held behind his back, ready to strike should the need arise. Shorty sat idly on the floor at the back of the pen.

Arthur stood up, stretched and gave his beard a quick scratch. He did so in such a nonchalant manner that you would have believed he was waking up under normal circumstances in his own home. He strode slowly over to the mutants and stood tall, immovable, like a fortress. "You can have me, you ugly bastards," he replied calmly, "I'm not afraid of you."

The two green skins looked at each other confused. Obviously, they had never encountered such a situation. No one had ever offered themselves. One grunted and took Arthur by the arm, dragging him out of the room. The other stayed and looked at each of us.

His gaze fell on Jonny first, who tensed up, then to J, who was still cowering in the corner, then to Red and me. His eyes lingered on the both of us, then focused intensely one only one:

Me.

My pace quickened as the mutant stomped over to me and eyed me carefully. His scent nearly choked me, as he leaned in closer almost as if he were looking for something.

A horrifying smile crept across his face. He had an idea.

The mutant grabbed me by the leg and began to drag me across the floor.

I clawed at the ground, trying to keep the grizzly monsters from dragging me away. My leg burned painfully, my bones felt ready to fall apart. I grabbed on to the bars, but the mutants continued to pull until I let go. No one in the pen moved, completely in shock of what was taking place.

The super mutant dragged me around the corner and down the hall. There was so much dirt and dust on the floor, that I was almost coated in it before I even reached the stairwell he was taking me too.

I tried to kick at his arm, despite the searing pain, but my legs were still so weak and sore that I don't even think he felt it. He just marched onwards like a big, dumb monolith with a mission.

I had no idea what he had planned for me, and frankly, I don't know if he did either. I tried not to think about it.

The only thing that I knew was that I was being dragged down a dirty hallway by an eight-foot-tall monster, while my chances of survival grew even slimmer.


	15. Like Them

Chapter Fifteen

Like Them

 _~ September 8, 2277 ~_

I gripped the corner of the wall, my fingers sore from the strain being put on them so suddenly. My fingernails were broken and filed down near to the point of discomfort. I pulled with all the strength in my arms, while the bulky monster pulled with a force to rival gravity. Everything happened so fast, that I believe my mind was having trouble comprehending the imminent danger I was in.

"Guh, human put up a fight. Weak. Still, won't help." He grunted at me through his gritted teeth. The harness wrapped around his head shifted with each word enough to chafe a normal person's skin. It was of no concern to the mutant, though, as his skin was tough, thick and calloused. "Stop pulling." He said in that same guttural voice they all seemed to share.

I spat a curse at him. He laughed it off. All the mutants had such a deep, throaty laugh that sounded much more like gargling. Frankly, I find it disgusting, no offense to you if you laugh in the same manner.

I kicked his wrist once again, but it was like kicking a cement wall. The arm of a super mutant is thick with bulging muscles, overlaying a powerful bone structure, unlike any human. I doubt he even felt my feeble attempts to harm him as he didn't even turn his head around or even flinch. His dumb gaze was locked firmly on the stairwell in front of us. Each step was miserable to deal with, as he pulled me farther and farther down the steps. I pushed off the ground with my hands in an attempt to keep my head from colliding with the floor.

The mutant did not even let up for a moment. His strides were so large, so quick, that he skipped down multiple stairs with each movement. I really began to wonder how we had outrun so many of them in the Mall. There was no doubt that the super mutants had the advantage when giving chase, so it begs the question why they didn't catch us.

That is something not even I know.

The bottom of the stairwell was a bittersweet relief for me. I was no longer being dragged down jagged steps, but now I was about to arrive at what I believed to be my final destination.

The green-skin pushed the door open forcefully and slammed it into the wall behind it. Such a force sent the door rebounding back towards him, where it struck him into the arm. He grumbled, a sudden, fierce rage flashed across his face, and he smashed his meaty fist on the already damaged door, splintering the wood even further.

His childish display allowed me only a moment's rest, so I was at least thankful that, for once, a door helped me. Usually, they seem to fall right off, their hinges loosed from 200 years of disrepair.

He dragged me into a room where several super mutants were gathered, all with their gaze focused on me. Arthur was already there and he was bound and knelt on the floor. He shot me an apologetic look as if he felt guilty for my inclusion in his sacrifice. I didn't blame him, not even a little. There was no way he would've known that the mutants would take two of us despite giving himself up. It made no difference to Arthur, though, as he had already decided it was his fault. That, coupled with his impending demise, was enough to add another layer of exhaustion to his already weary face.

The mutant gave my leg one more powerful tug and I slid up next to Arthur. I rolled over and pushed myself up into the same kneeling position, despite the unbearable aches. My whole body ached, really, far worse than it had before due to the amount of exertion I had been put through to prevent myself from being harmed any further.

If you didn't know this, super mutants don't care if being dragged hurts. They drag you anyway, almost as if you are just a doll.

"Sorry, kid," Arthur whispered to me, the sorrow coating his words. "I guess they were extra hungry today. I wanted you to get out, find your dad. I fucked us up real bad. I'm so, so sorry."

My mind was working to find another reason for my presence, a way to relieve his guilt. "It's not your fault. They're unpredictable, and besides, maybe it's something else. Maybe they aren't going to eat us."

Arthur looked at me as if I had just suggested something unheard of. "You'd better hope for everything you worth that's all they want. That they're just going to eat us. Otherwise, it's about to get..."

"Shut up, tiny humans!" One mutant, who was only then entering the room, shouted. "No more talking!" He roared.

I looked up at him as he approached us. Judging by his appearance, and the way the rest of the mutants repulsed from in fear, or perhaps respect, he was obviously in charge. I was almost amazed by the fact that a hierarchal system was in place for such savages, but the mortal terror was preventing me from truly appreciating it.

He was a head taller than the rest of them, and a bit bulkier. He was clad in much heavier looking armor that was built from metal junk pieces. A trio of metal bars, bound together at their base, and topped with a cinder block was slung over his back like a knight would a sword. This mutant was a master among mutants. A Super Mutant Master, you could say.

"Two humans?" The mutant master asked rhetorically. "Why did you bring me two?" He growled at the others.

They cowered, looking at each other as if begging one another to speak.

"Say something or no food!" the leader shouted and drew near to one of the others. "Not. Even. One. Bite!" He stood menacingly close to one, so close that there were only inches between their faces. He breathed heavily on the smaller mutants face, clearly trying to intimidate him.

Undoubtedly, it worked. The other backed up, then began to mumble under his breath. "One said to take him. Old man. He wants to die. Other one new. Not much meat on bones. Fight all the way here. Hold on to walls, say mean word. Kick me in arm. Try to get away."

The mutant master stuck his large, ogre-like nose in the air and inhaled. "Neither of them have much meat, stupid. Strange smell. The young one will taste different. Probably not good." He sniffed again, then glanced at me skeptically. "He fights?"

The one who had dragged me into the room laughed hysterically. "Not very good!" He exclaimed between guffaws. "No strength! No skill! Not like us! Like tiny, baby human!"

The Super Mutant Master stormed over to my position and loomed over me. I was aware that was noticeably larger than the rest of them, and it was even more apparent the closer he was to me. He gripped the front of my shirt, which was still caked in blood and grime from my Mall expedition. His crazed, bloodshot eyes scanned me over and over as if he were looking for a confirmation of sorts.

I didn't look away from the monster. I looked him directly in the eyes. I wanted him to see my bruised, battered face and know that I wasn't going to give him the fear he wanted from me. I figured that if I were going to die there, I should face it with as much courage as I could muster.

Finally, the briefest sign of excitement flashed across his green face. "Use this one." He said as he released me from his grip.

"What?" I said, sounding much dumber than I wanted to, my bravery deflating as I dropped. I crashed to the ground, landing directly on my left shoulder. I hardly had time to think about the pain before another mutant took grabbed me by my other arm and threw me over his shoulder.

"No!" Arthur shouted desperately. "Dear God, no!" He shouted again, standing straight up.

I looked at him just in time to see a mutant smash a large sledgehammer against his back. Arthur was thrown forward against the wall where he bounced back on his feet. He crumpled to the ground with a cry of pain. He lay face down, still choking out words.

"Fuck! Fuck, no! You don't want him, you stupid bastards!" He shouted over and over until he spat out a bit of blood. "Paul! Paul, they're going to make you..." He screamed until a mutant raised his heavy foot over Arthur's neck.

I was pulled around a corner, so I never saw what really happened. I heard it, though, over the hideous cackling of the monsters around us. There was a loud crack, then a few sloppy, wet splats.

I did not know Arthur very well, but he seemed like a decent man. My only regret was that we met under such circumstances. I think, no, I know we would've been friends, had we met elsewhere.

The Mutant Master followed behind me, still eyeing me as if he were a child that found a new toy, and could hardly wait to get home and play with it.

I collected all the saliva I had in my mouth, worked it up, and spat it directly onto the Super Mutant Master's chest, in what I believed to be my final act of defiance.

He only smirked, a wild look in his eyes.

We entered a rather small room with a large window in the middle. It was probably where the pre-war police interrogated people, but I highly doubt the mutants have such a use of the room. No, they use it quite differently. They had a pipe connected to a large canister sitting off to the side. Large letters were painted on the side, which I could only see one of due to their faded status. One was an "F." It ran through a hole in the wall, which was drilled decently enough. It was done, at least, with much more skill and precision that you would expect a stupid mutant to possess.

The Mutant Master pushed open the door and commanded the other one to bring me through. I bumped my head on the wall as we passed into the room, making my pounding headache that much worse.

He threw me down to the ground, then left unceremoniously.

There was nothing there but an old chair that barely remained in one piece and bloodstains of previous inhabitants.

I laid there on the ground, though, my eyes beginning to well up with tears. Was that really how I was going to die? My father didn't know where I was. He probably didn't even know I was looking for him. None of the people in the vault knew what was happening, and my new friends in the wasteland probably thought I was dead.

Was I going to die alone? Afraid?

The master pressed a button, and the speaker inside the room crackled, then squeaked to life.

"Human, you are lucky today." the leader said, apparently not sensing the irony in his statement. "No more will you be weak. No more will you be inferior." he continued. "You will use last of green gas to become like us. Become strong." He said in an almost in spring way. "Become soldier."

"Not much left. Hope there is enough." The other mutant grumbled and earned himself a strike from his superior.

"You die today. You begin life as super mutant," he said, putting an end to the conversation.

I was on my feet in less than a second, running towards the glass separating us. No way in hell was I about to let them turn me into one of them. My legs wobbled and felt ready to give out in the few steps I took, but it was enough to get me close to them. I couldn't even see the awful, irregularly shaped faces on the other side, probably laughing in absolute delight at my situation.

I pounded my fist on the glass over and over, somehow believing that I was going to shatter it with my weak muscles. I beat on it, my hands already in pain and turning red.

There was a barely audible squeak. The pipe began to puff out a dark, almost murky green gas into the room. There was only a cloud of it, barely enough to even appear dangerous. It wafted over the small enclosure, a dark foreboding paving its way.

I began to back away from the cloud as it dispersed a bit. I had no idea what life was going to be like as a super mutant, but I know I didn't want to be like them. I couldn't. I wasn't a bad person.

I didn't want to be like them.

Finally, a distraction came. The station's alarm began to screech in every room, and the two mutants monitoring me ran off in a fury. The rest of the captives were making a run for it, and they couldn't have chosen a better time.

I began to wish I could join them, but I was trapped in a room tainted with something awful.

Something that seemed fated, but probably wasn't. Something that was only a coincidence.

Tears streaked down my face as all of my thoughts were focused on the people I cared about, and no longer about my wellbeing. I wanted my last thoughts as myself to be about them, as they were all happy ones.

I thought about all my life in the vault. There were flaws, sure, but it was life. It was safe.

I thought about Josef and Ana, whom I wanted to continue being friends with.

I thought about my dad, who had always been there for me and was the one person I always knew I could run to if I were in trouble. He remained on my mind as the gas began to fill my nostrils.

The aroma was strange. It was not strong, but it was not weak, and it didn't smell like anything I had ever smelled before.

There was a searing pain, like every nerve in my body had been turned to flame. Every inch of my body, from my head to my toes was burning, like it was being torn apart at the seams, then being put back together only to do the same every single second. My mind was struggling to find any solution, any relief for the pain, but seemed to turn up empty.

I didn't have enough strength to scream. All I could do was collapse to the ground as the pain showed no signs of subsiding.

Something about the pain, though, was different. I changed because of it, it broke something in me. The change was not only because of the pain, but it was the last feather, the last piece that pushed me over the edge.

Every moment I had endured in the wasteland. My murder of the Overseer, Alphonse Almodovar, and of Mack, and my first encounter with raiders, my fights with many more of them. I flashed back to Mr. Burke, and the Alistair Tenpenny, who only had a sickening desire to kill, who had taken the life of a decent man. I recounted my quest to Galaxy News Radio, where I learned how dangerous the wasteland truly is, and how Three Dog sent me on the mission what brought me to Germantown. I only wanted to find my dad and he sent me out to do something so dangerous. The face of Arthur, who, only moments before, had given his life to save the lives of people whom he hardly knew, whether good or evil.

I remembered my fall, where I should have died, but lived anyway.

Finally, I broke. I died. Something inside of me snapped, and everything in my mind flooded out. All of my fears and inhibitions were drained out, and replaced by something far more terrifying:

Pure, white-hot rage. I felt every bit of restraint I once held disappear, becoming nothingness as the pain wiped it all away, and then began to ebb. The fear due to the situation blew away like chaff in the wind.

I was left lying on the ground breathless, unable to pick myself, despite the fury inside screaming for me to do so. My head was throbbing, my heart was racing, and the rest of me was twitching. Every muscle was still burning, hot like ashes, like embers of a furnace. It was if my body had been shredded to pieces but still remained whole. I had survived somehow, but hardly as I was before.

Summoning all the power within me, I clawed at the wall and pulled myself up to the windowsill, then stood up. I placed my hand on the glass, waiting for my vision to clear, so I could see my reflection. I coughed, my lungs stinging with each heave.

I was ready for the sight of a super mutant looking back at me. I was convinced that I had become a green-skinned monster, but I was met with a different view.

I was still myself, mostly, but I was different. I had grown taller, at least by a foot and a half. My pants no longer reached my ankles. I was much more muscular, enough to make my clothing a bit uncomfortable and look as if they were a size too small.

My once dark, raven colored hair had thinned out a bit, but no so much as to belong on top of a much older person's head. It was grayed out, practically bleach white. Even my skin had changed tones as well. There was a noticeably darker tint to it, with a very faint hint of green it, but not one as apparent as to be clear to the casual observer.

They had changed me with their gas, mutated me. The effects had not been nearly as pronounced as they had hoped, but they had affected me visibly. My once battered, broken body had been done away with, and replaced with a much stronger, fiercer one better equipped for life in the wasteland. I was still me, still as human as before, but also partially super mutant.

I had become like the very thing I feared the most.

The ringing in my ears began to subside as the screaming sirens returned. A singular thought ran through my mind at their call:

Get the fuck out of this hell-hole in whatever way you can.

I approached the door, then slammed my fist on it with a greater force than before. I pounded on it again and again but to no avail. My fist collided with it once more until I heard a thundering footstep coming from the down the hallway.

I moved in one fluid motion and grabbed the damaged chair across the room and stood next to the door, in a corner just out of sight. If I was right about who was returning, then the door would open in mere moments.

Just as the doorknob began to turn, I slid out from my corner and raised the chair above my head.

The mutant walked in, like a rat into a trap, where I slammed the furniture against his bald head. It splintered into several pieces and left him disoriented for a few moments.

"Oh, fuck me," I muttered to myself and stepped back as I saw that the mutant had not been felled by my attack.

His now bloodied face was absolutely boiling with anger as he saw me standing there, the failure of a mutant.

"Stupid human! Die, die, die!" He shouted as he swung his fists at me wildly, uncontrollably.

One caught me in the shoulder, but most of them I ducked under. I grabbed another piece of the splintered wood of the furniture and brandished it like a blade.

The mutant grabbed me by the head, his grip powerful and tight like he was already trying to squash my brain without even tearing me apart yet.

 _"Can't let it end. Gotta kill him."_ I repeated to myself as his grip tightened. I gripped the wood in my hand tightly, nearly as tight as he gripped my head, and raised it up. Every bit of force I had was put into my next motion as I brought down the wood like a dagger into him. It struck deep and straight, plunging into his chest, then broke off with the slight flick of my wrist.

The mutant released me and he screamed like a banshee. His hand instinctively went to the point of impact. His face was shocked, almost as if he could feel the life draining out from the wound.

I took no time to appreciate what I had done to him and darted from the room.

"Suck on that," I said cheekily to the mutant who would not be able to hear me anyway, then slammed the door closed behind me. I glanced over the room for anything that may have helped me escape, but it was almost bare. I would have to stealth my way out of the police station until I found a gun, hopefully, the ones the mutants had taken from me. I really missed The Ass-Beater.

I dashed around the corner and into the room where had been. He was gone at that point, the mutants had taken his body elsewhere and I had no time to look for it. I had to find a weapon of some sort.

I dumped a few boxes over, spilling their contents into the floor. The box had held nothing of value, only a few pieces of scrap metal and an empty bottle.

A thought crossed my mind to use the bottle as a weapon, but if a chair would only anger them, a glass bottle wouldn't be of any help either. I continued to look for a few more boxes, but they, too, were devoid of anything useful.

I tried a small closet next. There were a few shelves with different maintenance supplies, but nothing that even remotely resembled a weapon. There were a few more canisters shoved to the back of the closet, which I tried to inspect.

They had different letters printed on them but were not nearly as faded as the other canister the mutant had used on me.

"PT-01?" I read to myself as I tried to pick one of the metallic pods up. "They didn't use this on me, did they?" I continued. "It was something else." I set it back down, realizing that I was wasting my time.

I shrugged off my curiosities and left the closet. I had no time to kill, but I may have had plenty of mutants ahead of me. I exited the room and headed up the stairs the mutant had dragged me down earlier.

Sirens were preventing me from getting a good idea of where the mutants were in the building, but I needed to get back to the jail cell. Once I reached the top of the stairwell, I ran back in the direction I had come from, checking every corner before I passed around it.

The jog back to the jail cell wasn't long. I re-entered the room, which was now empty. All of the other prisoners had escaped from the cell, but I had no idea if they had gotten outside of the building.

My bag, luckily, was still present. I had assumed that someone had taken it with them upon my apparent demise. I certainly would've if I were in their position, but perhaps they did not want to load themselves down with any junk.

I picked it up and threw it over my shoulder. Upon turning around, I saw a mutant sprinting down the hallway. He must not have seen me, as he did not slow for even a moment. I peeked my head down out into the corridor and watched him vanish around a corner.

 _"Probably heading for an exit."_ I thought to myself.

The corridor was largely empty, save for a rad roach that skittered about in a panic. I took the time to squash it under my heel, then continued after the mutant. I ducked into a room to the left which contained exactly what I was looking for: an armory. It was once a firing range that much was obvious and still was in a way. Mutants, however, do not use dummies, they use living targets.

Dust particles hung lazily in the air, the intensity of the moment not even phasing them. I interrupted their floating and walked briskly over to the lockers.

They were locked tight, even the mutants were not that stupid, and so I took a piece of metal and pried them open. Inside the locker sat a combat shotgun, just waiting for me. I took it, somewhat surprised that they had not kept it loaded. I continued to look for ammunition, starting to grow impatient.

Finally, inside a large green box, I found several shells and a single grenade. I loaded up the shotgun with what I could, then dumped the rest into my bag, making sure to put the grenade in my pocket for easier access. The heft of the shogun felt good in my hands, but still awkward. The mutation had made me much stronger, but not any better in the aiming department.

I re-entered the corridor and proceeded in the direction the mutant had been going. I rounded the corner and came face to face with him. He had most likely been on his way to the armory I had just left.

He was never going to make it.

This mutant, unlike the one I had fought before, was armed with a sledgehammer. He swung it as soon as I came around the corner and missed, luckily. I would have been down for the count had he hit me square on.

He swung again, screaming a high pitched battle cry. I ducked under him and aimed the shotgun at his legs. The mutant readied himself for another swing before I could fire.

I dove to the ground and rolled away, already putting myself in a bad position as he swung at me as if I were a nail. Every time he hit the ground he shattered parts of the floor and sent dust and debris on top of me.

I coughed as more dust clouds began to fill the air around me. I had to make a move, or eventually, he would wise up and smash me into a paste.

The mutant held the sledgehammer high above his head once again, ready to bring it down on me with one final, mighty swing.

I pointed my shotgun at him and fired it three times as fast as I could. I had not realized that the shotgun I had picked up was had a faster rate of fire than I had thought. I guess that was my recompense for not caring much about guns.

The mutant above me fell backward, never making another sound after he hit the floor. Blood pooled around him I tried to pull myself away from it.

"Ugh..." I said, disgusted, as I wiped a bit of the blood off my face and stood up.

Ahead of me, another stairwell loomed, but I was glad to see it. I was almost positive that I had been in the basement of the station from the start, and with the next stairwell, I was able to confirm my suspicion. I leaped up two stairs with each stride, not wanting to waste any more time than I already had.

I could hardly get moving before someone reached out and pulled me to the side. I was ready to start fighting, but they were friendly.

"Easy, easy!" Jackie said as I thrashed a bit. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

"Oh, it's just you." I breathed out, relieved. "Why are you still down here? Where are the others?"

Jackie looked around nervously as if she were expecting a mutant to jump out from behind us. "I think they got out. I don't really know. We split up once we left the jail cell so I really don't know." She brushed her frazzled, blue hair back and wrung her hands.

I didn't have much time to chat, so I began to walk away.

"Hang on!" J shouted. "Don't leave me here! I don't have a weapon and that asshole Johnny ran off without me!"

"Should've picked a better boyfriend then," I replied and stopped again.

"No! He's my brother you jackass!" she said like I would have known. "He's still an asshole, though. But please, let me follow you out."

"Sure," I replied without much thought. "I don't have a problem with it, but we've got to go. I want to get the hell out of here." I said as I backpedaled away.

Jackie ran along behind me. I could feel her curious gaze on my back as we ran towards the end of the hall. "What did they do to you in there? How did you get away?"

"They gave me a super special protein shake then sent me on my merry way," I replied, sounding much more sarcastic than I intended. I was merely joking.

"No, really," Jackie asked again, not amused in the slightest.

"They gassed me or something," I said plainly. "I really don't know what it was. It was supposed to make me like them, I think, but it didn't work. Not entirely anyway."

"What the fuck? Make you like them?" She exclaimed in disbelief. "You mean turn you into a mutie?"

I didn't have enough focus to carry on a conversation with her, so I didn't bother responding. I was too busy looking for a way out. We approached an intersection in the hallways. I stopped running for a moment and looked up and down each direction, then decided to go left.

"This way!" I shouted over my shoulder and ran full speed down the corridor. I felt myself loosen up slightly as we neared a doorway. It was large enough and important enough to be the exit I imagined.

I was right. I pushed the door open and muted, gray sunlight flooded in. The rain was cascading over Germantown, coming down in sheets with enough volume to drench us in moments. The steps leading down from the door were slippery and water puddled in the many divots and imperfections in them.

There was a camp in the middle of the yard, complete with green tents that stood tall around me. The area itself was fenced in, with barbed wire topping them. Among it was a chilling sight.

The Super Mutant Master I had seen earlier had taken Red and Shorty captive and knelt them in the same fashion he had knelt Arthur and I. There was not a doubt in my mind that the master had no intention of sparing them. They were as good as dead.

Or, so he thought.

I raised my shotgun and fired at him twice.

Several spots on his body erupted with blood as the buckshot connected. He appeared largely unfazed, though. He looked at Jackie and me, or mostly just me, as Jackie had already closed the door and remained inside.

Red and Shorty wore expressions of disbelief, or perhaps confusion. They may not have recognized me either.

He was holding the same club he had been wielding earlier, but now he had turned it on me. "So, human, you live. You don't look like one of us."

"Yeah, I got to keep my good looks," I replied, somehow finding it within myself to be snarky in such a standoff. "All you did was help me. You didn't have enough to do it all the way, did you?"

"Guess not." He raised his nose and wrinkled it. "You smell like us, though. Smell like a human, too," he said, then made no effort to hide that he was revolted at my scent. "Disgusting. Impure. You will die like a human. Die like a failure." the large mutant growled, full of contempt.

I shot at him again as he raised the club above his head and charged at me. He shrugged off my shots and continued his advance. There was no way that I could shoot him enough to times to kill him before he reached me, then crushed me beneath the cinder block club he prized. I needed to slow him just for a second. My mind jumped to my grenade, which was still jingling in my pocket.

I continued to fire over and over, knowing that I was cornered. More and more holes appeared on his body in places that were not armored. It ran down his green, veiny skin and to the ground below. He finally flinched for just a moment, which was all I needed.

I wrestled the grenade from my pocket then pulled the pin with my teeth, and dashed towards him for everything I was worth.

He braced himself as if he expected me to tackle him, but I simply ran by him. He had a surprise waiting just below him. It would only be a few more seconds.

I grabbed Red and Shorty and dragged them away as they tried to stand up. The mutant let out a furious roar as he realized what I had done.

The grenade beneath him exploded violently. He disappeared in a cloud of dirt.

I had misjudged the size of the explosion, as I was thrown off my feet and onto my face. I may have skidded a bit, as I could feel the scrapes on my face before I even began to move. My ears were ringing, and my limbs ached a bit. My mouth was full of dirt, but I was largely unharmed, and I counted that as a blessing.

I rolled over to my side, hardly wanting to get back up. I wanted to lie there on the ground for quite a while, but I had to keep going.

Red had already gotten to her feet and was pulling Shorty to his. She was saying something to him, but the ringing in my ears was still so loud that I couldn't hope to hear it as well.

She looked over to me, still with that confused look she had before, but also with a layer of thankfulness.

A sudden, horrible roar from behind me shattered Red's relief. The master was still alive.

I twirled around on my heel, already fearful of what I knew.

The master was still alive, still hungry for my blood.

He clawed at the ground weakly with the two limbs he had remaining. His legs had become mere stumps, barely resembling their once thick, powerful appearance. He was mangled, bloodied and barely alive, but still just as angry as before.

My hearing had mostly returned, but the painful ringing still remained.

"You die...human. No escape." he gargled, his mouth full of blood. "Die like the old man," the dying beast taunted, "Weak, afraid."

The fear I had of him was immediately replaced with fury. My mind flashed back to the mutant who swung his hammer at the poor old man. I heard the awful snapping noise when they separated me from Arthur and the sloppy, wet stomping that followed. The brutes had toyed with him first, then crushed beneath their feet like an insignificant bug. They had toyed with all of us as if we were some piece of property, a morsel of sustenance.

The detest I possessed for him only built even more as the awful realization that they had done this for far longer than I had been around set in. I could never know how many countless others had passed through the doors and into the jail, never to return. They were treated the same, and they died in fear while the gruesome savages ripped them apart.

I walked over to the super mutant master, who still cackling with demented glee.

"You are still scared. Still weak and tiny. Afraid of us, afraid of yourself now." he coughed out, heaving with each painful breath. "I should have pulled the flesh from your bones, let my brothers devour you when..." He trailed off. His eyes began to close but then shot open once again. "You...be like us. Die like us..."

The rain was pouring around us, pooling in the unevenness of the ground the explosion had created. I stood silently, looking down on him, huffing and growling like a wild animal. His taunts meant nothing to me, as they were only a feeble last attempt to get inside my head. A part of me wanted to walk away, to let him drown in his own blood and die alone.

The other part wanted to crush him. I wanted to feel his life drain away. I wanted him to die afraid, to know in his last moments what so many others had felt. He was no human, so I should've felt no remorse.

Maybe, though, a part of me knew that he had once been a human as well, and couldn't feel at peace with such a decision.

Regardless, I took a deep breath and stood over him, my fists clenched so tight I could feel my nails digging into my skin. His arms were flailing weakly, as he put all of his strength into one final strike on me.

I raised my boot over his neck and placed it down. "How many people have you done this to?" I said as I stomped on him. His neck softer than I had imagined, or maybe I was stronger than I had thought. "How many people have you dragged in there?!" I shouted though it was doubtful he had heard me. "Do you know fear, now?! Are you afraid?!" I bellowed, my throat a little hoarse. I stomped over and over, screaming insults and curses of the like I had never used at the long dead mutant whose face was locked in an expression of pure agony. His face was still quite terrifying, to be honest, as it still retained the monstrous deformities mutants are known for.

A truly terrifying thing, however, was the sheer amount of enjoyment I took in the deed. It felt good. I almost wanted to grin while stomping him, while watching him die.

Blood was splattered halfway up my leg, and my boot had gone from brown to red. It was dripping with the sticky red liquid by the time I was done.

Jackie emerged from the police station, and her eyes widened at the sight. Her face was pale, and she backed herself against the closed doors.

I must admit, though, I was a disturbing sight. I was wearing torn clothing that was clearly too small for me and was caked in blood, both dried and fresh. My hair was messy and hanging down in my face, which was covered in dirt and grime. Rain pelted me as I stood above a dead, maimed beast and looked down at him with utter disgust.

I looked over to her, and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Her face went pale and she struggled to find words. Her mouth opened and closed, but nothing would come out.

The look on her face made me feel as if I should've been ashamed of what I had done, but truly, I wasn't. I was damn proud, and it felt good to do it. That singular part of me screaming for vengeance on them had been satiated for the time being.

"It's done. It's over." I breathed out, the thrill of adrenaline beginning to wear off. I put my hands on my knees and let the rain wash over me. "Let's get out of here, and never come back," I suggested as I stood back up to full height.

Not Shorty, nor Red or Jackie moved a muscle.

I looked at each of them surprised, lifted my hands up then dropped them to my side again in a questioning way. "What's wrong with everyone? I thought we wanted to get out of here? Now's our chance."

Shorty shook his head. "Nah, man. There's not a problem, I guess we're just trying to figure out what happened. To you, and really, with everything." He explained though he didn't make much sense to me. "Sorry, I'm just shaken up."

"Yeah, we thought we were done for there." Red finally piped up. "We were so close, and almost out of here, then he grabbed us. He said he was going to kill us." She wrapped her arms around herself and shuddered. "And then you showed up." She looked directly at me for the first time. "We all thought you were dead."

"I probably should be, all things considered." I agreed. "But it doesn't matter now," I concluded and shook my head. I picked up my shotgun from the ground and began to look around at the fence.

There was no way we were going to climb over it, not with the barbed wire in place. A gate had to be somewhere, or a hole in the fence.

I have always chalked it up to the heat of the moment subsiding, but my mind started to linger on the gruesome things I had done to escape. It didn't seem like me at all, or maybe it did. Regardless, my hands began to shake. I had just killed three super mutants, one much stronger than the average variety, alone.

There had been no Josef or Ana to save me, and there was no running away in fear, though all the fear that I had not felt in the situation had begun to overtake me in the calm.

I sat down on the ground and put my head in my hands. I took deep breaths and tried to calm down, my heart beating wildly. I felt sick.

"Hey, hey, are you alright?" Red asked worriedly, placing one hand on my back.

"Yeah, yeah. Just a little freaked out is all." I downplayed. "Everything's setting in now, I guess. Took long enough, huh?" I said, pretending to be tougher than I was.

Red wore an expression of skepticism. She usually did. "They did something to you down there, that's pretty obvious. What happened?" She demanded to know, going directly to the heart of the issue.

I ran my hands through my hair to brush it back off my forehead. "They pumped some kind of gas into this room I was in. It was greenish."

Red stood up and listened intently.

"I don't really know what it was, but it changed me somehow."

She took a few steps back and forth, scratching her head in confusion. "No, no, I don't really know anything about that. Never heard of them administering some kind of gas or any kind of gas that would alter someone's physicality."

"Neither have I, but I only know a few things about vault science and almost nothing about wasteland science," I reluctantly admitted.

"Hm...At any rate, we can't exactly test for anything here. I wouldn't even know what to look for, anyway." Red decided. "I guess I can take a look at you when we get ourselves back to Big Town."

"Big Town? Why would I go there?" I asked.

"Well you're not exactly close to Megaton right now, and Big Town is just up the road. I figured you might want to shack up there for a day or so, then take off. You're more than welcome as far as I'm concerned."

I was stunned by Red's invite. "Uh, thank you!" I replied simply. She didn't even know me that well, and she was inviting me to her town. I could have been ready to rob and pillage for all she knew, but I wasn't about to put that thought out there.

"Hey, I think I found the way out!" Shorty called out from across the yard.

We all jogged over to his location behind one of the tents. The fence zigzagged until it reached a small gate.

"Looks like it's locked, though." he said as we approached.

"Well, thanks for the timely update," Jackie said irritably. "So how do we unlock it?"

I was already on the job. I went to the middle of the yard and picked up the super mutant master's rebar club. It was incredibly heavy, but I was able to lift it.

"Out of the way," I warned as I approached the gate. I raised it high above my head, feeling it pull me back a bit, then swung it forward with all my might. The block crashed into the small padlock with great force and broke it into three pieces.

"Shit, that thing was heavy," I said as I dropped the club. "Let's not take that with us."

"Agreed," Shorty said as he pushed the gate open triumphantly. "Ah, sweet freedom." He said, then inhaled deeply. "Smell that?"

I sniffed as well. It was terrible, it reeked of death. "It smells like ass," I replied.

"Yeah, but it's free ass." He said and marched out of the gate.

"Don't think I'd take any chances with free ass," I said with a smirk. "But you do what you do."

I do agree that it was incredibly relieving to finally be outside in the open again. The air, while it still smelled revolting, was at least somewhat clearer.

The rain was beginning to let up, and for I was happy for that since we were about to be in the open for a while. I pulled on the straps of my bag and started down the road with red and Shorty.

"Um, hold on a second," J called out after we had only gone a few steps. She stood rather nervously behind us, looking around the area. "Would you mind if I, well, went with you?"

"Not going to chase after dickweed?" I asked, referring to her brother.

"Johnny? No." She said, devoid of any interest in him. "He left me in there to die, so he could run off back to his stupid raider friends."

"Yeah, but didn't you used to run with them, too?" Shorty inquired, placing his fists on is hips and standing with his chest out. He wanted to appear intimidating, and I don't think anyone had the heart to tell him he wasn't.

"I did, yeah. But I didn't like it." She said with a drop in her tone. "He was all I had left, so I felt like I had to follow him. Shoulda just went out on my own. All they want to do is take drugs and kill people. I mean, hell, it was cool to get free stuff but..."

We all looked, out expressions enough to say what was on our collective minds.

"I'm not helping my case, am I?" Jackie asked with a shy grin.

"Not really, no," Red replied curtly. "I've dealt with raiders before, so I don't really think I trust you."

Jackie's expression fell.

"Look, I don't see the harm in it," I interjected. "She can't hurt us unless you think she's going to win a fight with me." I held my shotgun up in the air.

"Fair point, but I really only expected you to come with us," Red argued.

"Alright, she'll be my responsibility. If she does anything, then it's on my head." I debated. "Is that good enough?"

Red began to speak again but decided to hold back. She simply nodded her begrudging approval.

I looked over to J and nodded. "C'mon. Let's go."

She smiled wide and ran along beside us. "Oh, thanks so much!" She said in a gleeful manner.

Shorty huffed and Red remained silent.

We were finally on our way out of Germantown, free and relatively safe at last. I was more confused than ever, though. Josef and Ana surely believed me to be dead. How would I explain everything that had happened to them? I was almost sure they were back in Megaton since Josef still had a shack there, but I would have to return just to be sure. Three Dog no doubt had heard of my apparent demise as well.

Three Dog. I felt the heat of my anger build at the thought of him. He still knew where my father was, and it would be while before I could return to the DJ again. I wanted to give him a piece of my mind as soon as possible, though.

My father, more importantly, was still out there somewhere. I was directionless in my search for him, and he was only getting farther away from me with every day that passed. Would he be okay with what's happened to me, and what I've done? I reasoned that it wouldn't matter since he was the whole reason I left the vault anyway. Things wouldn't have been the way they were if he had just stayed put.

One thing from Germantown was going to stay with me, imprinted in my mind beyond all others. It wasn't absolute hopelessness that had gripped an aging man like Arthur, and it wasn't the faces of the hungry mutants, many of whom I had not encountered on my way out.

It was what I had seen in my mind while they mutated me. It was what had been hidden away in the darkest recesses of my mind. I don't know if it was the mutation, or if had always been there, but I now knew one thing about it:

It was free, and it was hungry. It was like them.


	16. Little Big Town

Chapter Sixteen

Little Big Town

 _~ September 8, 2277 ~_

I would have preferred if our walk to Big Town would've been a bit drier than it was. The rain continued to pour down without any signs of slowing, and wouldn't you know that I had forgotten my umbrella.

"Ugh, my clothes are soaked. I hate the rain." Jackie complained in a particularly pitiful tone. She shook her head in an attempt to stop the rain water from dripping onto her face, effectively sending it all in my direction.

"Look on the bright side," I began with my hands shielding me from globs of water, "it's the closest any of us have gotten to getting clean in a while," I remarked, then looked at the rest of my red-stained clothes. "I probably needed one more than the rest of you."

"At least you don't smell like shit." Jackie replied." I think you're the only one that doesn't."

"Just blood. That's better, right?"

"In a way, yes." She agreed. "At least people will be afraid of you instead of plain disgusted."

"That'd be a first," I said and ran my hands over my face, then flicked a few drops of water away. It didn't help much. The rain only soaked me again in a few more moments. "Afraid. Not so much disgusted."

"For real? I took you for the rugged, dangerous adventure type, smashing heads and shooting guns with the biggest and baddest of 'em. You at least seem to know how to handle yourself better than the rest of us here." She said and glanced over at me as if she were expecting a specific response.

"I've been in a few scraps, yeah. Nothing major." I downplayed. "A few ghouls here, a couple of random maniacs there," I said, throwing one hand from side to side.

"And mutants?" she spun around and walked backward in front of me.

"Not as many. They're a bit harder to beat than zombies."

Jackie smiled and tilted her head to the side slightly. "Maybe you could show me sometime?"

I smirked, sarcasm already coating my thoughts. "Sounds romantic. Almost like a date."

Jackie spun around again, her back to me. "Not really, but it sounds closer to one than some of the other ones I've been on."

I looked over the cracked, jagged road. We were just starting up a steep hill, but it appeared much larger to me than it really was. I am sure that the aftereffects of having my muscle mass radically changed in under a minute were taking their toll. My body, which had felt light as a feather just after the mutation, had felt as if it was triple the usual weight. Each step was a chore and an achy one at that.

Shorty had run ahead of the rest of us and was standing at the crest of the hill.

"Ah…home sweet home." He said as we approached from behind. He stamped his foot and looked over the land proudly. "Still looks ready to fall apart, just like I remember it. It won't, though. Made sure of that myself."

I didn't want to say anything, but the place was even dumpier than Megaton. Even it was a sizable town with a respectable layout.

There was wall haphazardly circling the small settlement of about six houses that dipped so low in places that I could have simply leaped over it. Some sections were crumbling, and the rest was made of assorted junk and wiring.

"Wow," Jackie exclaimed in a very unenthused and patronizing way. "It's exactly how I dreamed it would be." She continued, then crossed her arms in a display of disappointment.

"It's unbelievable isn't it?" Shorty proclaimed.

"It's something." I agreed, though not in the way he interpreted it.

"C'mon. Let's just get back in town and get out of this downpour." Red suggested with one hand over her head. She took her bandanna off and wrung it out, then held it by her side. "Besides, we're still not out of the woods yet."

"Why is that?" Shorty asked as he began to march down the hill. He stepped into a pothole and water soaked him up to the knee.

"Paul, did you kill all of the super mutants?" Red asked, seemingly off topic.

I stuck along with the question, wondering where she was going with it. "No, I don't think I did. I killed two of the regular ones, and the big one. There were at least five of them that I saw." I recounted. "Where are you going with this?"  
"I'll explain when we get inside." She replied and effectively ended the conversation there.

Needless to say, she had piqued my curiosity.

A mass of tires and other junk outlined the entrance to Big Town. A rickety old bridge led over a nasty, murky pool of water that waited like a trap no one would fall for, and back onto the dirt of the path leading between houses. One lone streetlight sat at the other end of the bridge, but I couldn't tell if it functioned, not during the daylight.

"Careful crossing the bridge. You have no idea how many twisted ankles I've treated." Red advised in a somewhat cheerful but also exasperated manner. She held on to the ropes along either side and crossed slowly. Each step Red took caused the unstable planks to shift and wobble ominously.

Shorty crossed the bridge without hesitation and would've probably cartwheeled across if he had been more coordinated. Next, Jackie crossed, and I followed.

A man decked out in black combat armor was reclining in a chair at the end of the bridge. A rifle was sitting on the ground next to him, leaned against on a wall. I couldn't see his face due to his helmet, but it was obvious he was asleep. I to this day do not know how a man can fall asleep with the rain pouring down on him like that.

Red approached him and waved her face in front of his helmet, but received no response. She stood up to full height and placed her hands on her hips. "Dusty!" she called out sternly.

The man, apparently Dusty, awoke with a start. He kicked his legs in a panic and stood up. "What? What's happening?" he said and looked about frantically. His searching stopped when he caught a glimpse of Red and the rest of us standing in from of him. Dusty removed the face covering of his helmet, then blinked twice as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Red? Shorty?" he said in disbelief.

"In the flesh!" Shorty exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air and brushing past.

"But you guys were supposed to be dead! We all thought you were gone for good!" he said, reliving the raid in his mind.

"And you were supposed to be watching so it wouldn't happen again. Not to anyone else." Red retorted.

Dusty didn't make a motion. I could practically hear the gears inside his head turning, but not much became of it. "Yeah. You got me there. But how?" he said and removed his helmet. "How did you get out?"

"Thanks to another guy there. Arthur." I inserted into the conversation. "He came up with a plan to get us out. He…he sacrificed himself for us."

Dusty looked at me, then at Jackie, and then to Red. He pulled her aside and began to whisper feverishly. Red also whispered a few remarks of her own. She waved her arms, as if in a heated discussion and looked back at us once or twice. Dusty gave us a few concerned glances, but Red turned his focus back to the conversation. They continued to argue in hushed tones for several minutes, which by that time I had grown impatient.

Finally, the two ended their conversation, and Red spun around to face us. "C'mon you two, we can go talk inside." She snapped her finger, and pointed in front of her, towards a house.

"Just a fair warning, Red," Dusty called out, "I'm still going to keep a watch on these two. Like a hawk." he said, then puffed out his chest at us. "Got it, you two? The town's under my protection."

I nodded, not particularly in the mood for a quarrel, and followed Red.

There were several other houses in Big Town, all in similar styles, all falling to pieces in the same way. I could see other faces come and go in some of the windows, their eyes never relenting their observations, and making me rather uncomfortable.

"Psst," Jackie whispered and nudged me with her elbow. "You think they're going to try anything?"

"No. Not really." I replied flatly. "If they were, they wouldn't be hiding when I look at them. Watch." I said, then gazed directly into a window. A curtain was drawn immediately after.

"Hmm. Let's just be careful, alright?"

"I intend to. I've already almost died twice in the past week and a half, and I'm not interested in doing it again. I can get my thrills another way. Maybe professional knitting?"

"God, I know your hair is white, but don't start acting like an old man," Jackie said with a small chuckle.

Red continued in front of us, then turned toward a house no different from the rest in town and opened its door. She stopped and held it open for us, and nodded towards the interior. Inside the house it was dimly lit, the only source of light coming in from the window that was half covered by a curtain. Lamps and other lights were displayed throughout the home, but for decoration only.

"Alright, seems like our gangs all here. Red, White and Blue," Shorty said, pointing to Red (obviously), myself, and Jackie respectively. "Mind telling me why you bleached your hair, by the by?"

"I wanted to express myself. I'm different. You wouldn't understand it." I replied sarcastically.

"Okay, okay, get your jokes out now, because we have some serious stuff to talk about." Red encouraged. She strolled over to a round table and leaned on it.

"Such as?" Shorty asked, join gin her at the table.

"Such as what we're going to do about the mutants." Red continued, cutting directly to her point. "Paul didn't kill all of them, not in the police station, and I'm willing to bet there's even more that weren't there during our jailbreak."

"So, they don't know what happened. They'll just come back and see their friends got smashed. No harm to us." Jackie reasoned.

"Except there will be." Red retorted.

Everyone in the room exchanged glances, but no words.

"That's not only vague but also threatening! Mind explaining what you're thinking?" I replied with much gusto.

"Alright." Red agreed and crossed her arms. "We already know how violent they are, from firsthand experience and how prone they are to flying off the handle just for fun."

"And? They like to break stuff and people. What of it?" Shorty asked impatiently.

"I'm getting to that. They're like that when they're having a good time. What I'm worried about is," Red continued, an obvious shiver running up her spine at the thought, "What are they like when they're angry? They know where we live, and how to get to us."

Shorty's face paled quickly as the horrible realization hit him all at once. "Oh shit, you're on to something!" He exclaimed, then backed away from the table. "Those motherfuckers are just going to march over here first chance they get and finish us off."

"So what are we doing here?" Jackie interrupted. "Look, I know I'm only staying here for a day or so, but I'd rather my stay not be spent on edge. The only way we solve the problem is to kill them first. Let's get everyone together and wreck their party."

Shorty turned around and shot her a look of disbelief. "Nah, you're kidding right?" He marched back over to the table. "There's no way in hell I'm going back there again, not willingly."

"I'm not saying _we_ go back. I'm saying we let them come to us. Someone can go draw them in." J explained and nodded in my direction. "We set a trap or something. An ambush. On the edge of town. Bottleneck them at the bridge."

"There's a few problems with that strategy, too." Red began. "Say they come at us with seven or eight. We don't have anything around here that we can use to take out a few quick and easy. No explosives or anything. We hardly have any guns, and the few we do have, no one really knows how to use them but Kimba and Dusty. It looks like, from the police station anyway, that Paul can fight them one on one, but I don't think he's going to have the opportunity or the energy." Red looked at me. "No offense."

I shook my head.

"So we're fucked either way, then?" Shorty declared dejectedly.

"That's not to mention the slavers, either," Red added. "They could pop in whenever they want to clean up what's left."

"Don't remind me," Shorty replied, then flopped down on a couch in the other room.

"You have slavers around here?" Jackie asked, somewhat skeptical.

"Paradise Falls. Ever heard of it? Whole base of operations for them in the Capital Wasteland just a few miles up the road from here"

Jackie stepped back in a similar manner to Shorty. "What the hell is wrong with this place? Why did you people come here?"

"We got thrown out of our old home for getting to old. The rule around there is that once you turn sixteen, you get sent into the world, to this enchanted shithole."

"So you get a choice of dying by the mutants, or getting enslaved if you survive." Jackie surmised. "You guys picked the wrong place to live."

"You can say that again." Shorty agreed from the other room.

All of us stood about in silence, pondering what choice we had. Jackie seemed interested in only surviving until she could leave, but I had a debt to pay.

Red had saved my life when she could have just counted me dead and looted my bag for herself. She and Shorty could have sent me back into the wasteland with just what I could carry on my back, all the way to Megaton. I had checked my map. It was at least half a day of walking nonstop to get there, and I was definitely not ready to go.

In my mind, I owed them, plain and simple. I had made a decision at GNR that I would be better, less helpless, and repaying the people who helped me was one way to start.

"Paul, you've been pretty quiet. Any thoughts?" Red asked while the other two sought out places to wallow in defeat.

I frowned. "You guys have it really bad here," I stated. "Slavers on the left, Super Mutants on the right. Both are pretty much just as bad as each other, but in different ways."

"I guess. What of it?"

"Well, if you can't off the mutants without worrying about the slavers, and it doesn't sound like taking out the slavers is an option either, then why not just avoid the problem altogether?" I looked around the room, taking in the amount of it that was falling apart. "Why don't you just leave?"

"Say what?" Shorty asked irritably and sat upright.

"Hold on." Red held out her hand, blocking Shorty. "What do you mean leave? Just uproot our whole lives and walk out?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Let's face it, you guys don't have much of a life here anyways, so why not leave? It makes more sense than counting down the days until you're either enslaved or eaten alive."

"Alright. I'll humor you." Shorty said, adopting a more open mind. "Say we leave, where do we go? We have seven people in our town, counting Red and me. Who will take in that many people?"

"I guess Megaton would." I pondered. "Let's see, Lucas Simms isn't around anymore, but his son is. That house is still occupied. Mr. Burke had a house, probably big enough for two people to shack up together in. There's a vacant house that's bigger than the rest in town, except for Simms' home." I recalled. "That vacant house could easily fit the five other people. It may be close living quarters, but it's a hell of a lot safer than living here." I counted up the people one two hands. "That's everyone, right? Can that work?"

"Assuming the townspeople trust us, yes, I think that could work." Red agreed. "I just have to convince a few others to go along with the plan. I'm sure they won't like losing their homes in favor of one."

"You're kidding, right?" Shorty asked, shaking Red around as if she didn't hear him. "Is your bandanna on too tight?"

"Look, Shorty, I don't know about you, but I'm tired of living this way!" Red pushed his hand off and turned to face him. "I'm tired of going to sleep every night afraid that either mutants or slavers are going to raid the town. I'm tired of waking up every morning and wondering if it's the last time I will. I'm tired of being so afraid to even be alive!" Red pressed her voice nearly a shout. "Aren't you?"

Shorty furrowed his brow, unable to think of a response. "Yeah. I'm just as tired as you are, but I'm just having trouble with the thought of running out on old Big Town. We've already been forced out of our home once, do we really want to do it again? Under the same promise that things will be better?"

"I'm at least willing to try. I've heard about Megaton from the traders. It's not that bad of a place. A bit rough, but it's really been coming up the past few years. The town's gotten bigger, people are flocking in, and most of all, it's safe. Safer than it is here." Red reasoned. "There are no mutants, and there are no slavers around there, so that's already a plus in my book."

"Okay, we make the trip, we take everything we own, and we turn this place into a ghost town by week's end. What about her, then?" Shorty pointed to Jackie, who had taken his spot on the couch and sprawled out, one arm over her eyes. "Where's she going if we abandon this place?"

"Not sure, really. Didn't bother to ask her." I shrugged. "I imagine she has somewhere to go."

"Doubt it. That jackass brother of hers was the only person she had, and that's not saying much." Shorty said, obviously trying not to be heard. "She harped on it once. Felt sorry for her, really."

"Why, Shorty, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually care for her!" I responded with fake shock.

"Eh, what can I say? I simply can't let a damsel be in distress. Not when the only two in this town I got to choose from is gloomy or geeky."

Red cleared her throat.

"Look, Red, love you, but just not in that way. Bittercup is another story, though. She's just plain weird." Shorty said, trying to cover his statement.

Red frowned, still not amused in the slightest.

"Back on topic," I suggested, directing the derailing conversation. "I guess she can come with me tomorrow if she has nowhere else to go. She seems okay, and I could use another set of eyes along the way."

"Guess we'll have to settle for that much." Red sighed. "At least we won't have to hold strangers in our home for too long before we go."

"So, we just abandon this place, then. Never look back?" Shorty began once again.

"That's the long and short of it," I replied a bit irritated that he was still so reluctant to escape from his death trap town. "Now are you done or not?"

"Yeah, I'm done, but I sure as hell am not going to like it."

Red brushed her hand over the top of her head and ran it down the side of her face. "I guess that's that. We're going to leave our entire lives behind in search of a new one. I guess now's the hard part. I'll have to talk the others into leaving as well."

"Ouch. Good luck." I replied abruptly, hardly fancying my persuasion skills at the time. "While you're doing that, you mind if I take a quick power nap? I'm beat."

Red looked as if she expected me to jump at the opportunity to speak to everyone. "Yeah. Go ahead. I'll let you know how it goes in a bit." She answered. Red straightened the bandanna on her head, then marched towards the door, filled with confidence.

Perhaps, though, she only wanted to appear confident. She had her doubts about the rest of the townsfolk, and about my plan, but it was the only option she had that wouldn't end in certain death.

I didn't bother asking Jackie to move from her spot on the sofa, and it would have been rude to sleep in Red's bed, so I stretched out on the floor. I had grown accustomed to sleeping on the floor, between Josef's shack and the police station, that is. My body was aching from the mutation, and my eyelids were heavy as well. I as thoroughly exhausted, and if I were going to make the trip back to Megaton the day morning, then I would need to be well rested. Luckily, it was only mere moments passed and I was out like a light, snoring loud enough to shake the foundations of the home.

While I was out, I dreamed a very strange dream. I relived my escape from Vault 101, yet again, but it was slightly different. Everything progressed the same way as it had actually happened until my confrontation with Alphonse, save for a few mole rats having a birthday party in the diner during the lockdown.

If you're wondering, though, the cake was chocolate, but I digress.

I fought Alphonse in the same manner as I had before, but decidedly more brutal, and more angrily. Even stranger, I felt a sense of enjoyment when I began to smash his head in, almost as if I had longed to do it for my entire life, and was finally given the satisfaction of murdering him. I could hear myself laughing inside the dream, a deep throaty, gargling laugh, like a monster.

I know for a fact, though, that I did not enjoy killing the man. It haunted me every waking moment for quite a while, and the ramifications of my actions were even harder to accept. I had not only ended a life in a gruesome manner, I had torn apart a family as well. I had also effectively ruined my relationship with the one other person in the vault, besides my father that actually seemed to like me. I wrestled with the guilt every time it came to my mind, only to seek solace in justifying my actions.

Truly, though, was it justified? I had no proof that Alphonse intended to kill me, to begin with. Perhaps he only wanted to subdue me, but was caught up in the moment, and believed his life was in danger. I may have been too aggressive when I could have tried to defuse the situation, but there was no going back.

What had been done was not going to change, and I had to accept that, and the responsibility for taking away someone's future.

I'm not entirely sure how long I slept, but I was awakened by Shorty, who was visibly agitated.

"Damn, you almost don't seem like a mutant killer when you're sleeping," Shorty commented. He stood upright and looked around the room a few times, impatiently.

"What'd you wake me up for?" I yawned, rubbing my eyes and scratching my neck. I snorted once, then stood sat up. "Something going on?"

"Actually the opposite." The diminutive man corrected. "Nothing is happening, and that's just the problem. Everyone else, they, uh, didn't take kindly to your idea."

"You're kidding."

"Not at all, they lost it when Red suggested it. Started shouting and talking shit about her, and you, especially. They are not happy campers."

I stood up and stretched, a few crusty pieces of dried blood flaking off into the floor. I grimaced and turned my focus back to the actual issue, not my wardrobe malfunction. "So what do you want me to do about it?" I asked, somewhat remorseful that I did, and not even trying to hide it in my tone.

"I mean since you asked so cheerily and all," Shorty smirked and shrugged. "The main thing is that they're afraid to leave because the trip there might be more dangerous than staying here. You could go out there and talk to them, I guess, convince them that they're better off leaving this dump."

"Yeah, the guy covered in blood is going to convince them it's safe." I pointed out and tugged on my shirt. "Would you trust someone like that? Come on everyone! What's that? Blood? No, it's not from the many horrors of the wasteland, it's from the many animals I've hunted and eaten! There's so many in Megaton, that everyone is fat as a house!" I told, aware that all of it was nothing but fiction. "Look I don't mean to be needy or anything, but you could at least let me wash these before I go out there."

"Would you two pipe down? I'm trying to sleep here." Jackie, who had apparently been awakened by our exchange, mumbled tiredly.

"Fine, then. There are a few sets of clothes in the other room. Red keeps them around for people she helps. Sometimes their clothes get ruined in the process." Shorty pointed behind me to a cracked door, hanging on by only a hinge. "When you're done making yourself pretty, meet me and Red out back, we'll get you set up."

"Got it. No peeking, though, okay?" I said in a high-pitched tone and waved my hand at him flamboyantly.

"I wouldn't want to see your pale ass anyway." Shorty quipped back.

I closed the door behind me and opened up the closet. Several shirts of varying sizes were hanging up, and a few ragged pairs of pants. I browsed for a few moments, the pulled a shirt similar to the one I was wearing from its position. I quickly realized that the article of clothing I had selected was a size too small for me, so I put it back.

"Alright. Think a bit bigger, then." I grumbled to myself and continued to search through the clothing. I pulled a brown jacket, the sleeves torn off in what seemed to be an attempt to make it appear tougher that reached my thighs, and a green, long-sleeved button down shirt. Next, a pair of jeans with a hole just below the left knee quite faded, but in overall decent condition. I didn't bother trying for shoes, as the boots I had on before still fit me just fine.

I put everything on, keeping in mind what Silver had told me on my first day outside the vault. I had to pass for average wasteland trash, and I certainly did, since I looked like a drifter. I carefully folded up my clothes and carried them outside with me, where it had finally stopped raining, only to dump them in the trash moments later. It felt good to finally get out of those nasty rags.

I continued around to the back of the house where Red and Shorty were waiting.

"I see you picked the only clothes that weren't falling apart," Red commented.

I tugged at the collar of my shirt and straightened my jacket. "You mean these aren't?"

"Not as bad as the rest of them, but they suit you well enough." She proceeded to push herself from the wall she was leaning on. She was clearly seething with anger towards her fellow townsfolk, but she wouldn't show it. "So Shorty told you what's up?"

"Yeah. Sounds like they're a bit reluctant, to say the least. What do you think I can do to convince them?"

Red cut her eyes to left, not wanting to look directly at me. "Promise them you'll protect them, probably. They're worried about their safety, so that's the only thing that'll get through to them."

I rubbed my forehead vigorously. "Look, you know I can't do that. What if something goes wrong? What then?"

"Remember." Red directed, and held her finger up in the air, then raised the other one to stand alongside it, "Most of the what-ifs in our situation are better than our certainties. I'm sure we don't need to go over that again."

I took a deep breath, exhaling long and slowly. "So I just go out there, get them riled up and make promises I maybe can't keep?"

"That's life in a nutshell."

"Fine," I grumbled. "I'll try my best, but I'm not a great public speaker. Never have been good at it." I complained as I strolled around to the front side of the house, feeling like I was being taken in front of a judge.

I wasn't, though. I wouldn't be in front of a judge for quite a while still.

The townspeople were still gathered in a small cluster, feeding off of each other's negativity. They reduced their loud grumbling to a much more reserved volume as I approached them.

"So, you're the guy who wants to make us leave?" a young girl wearing way too much eyeliner, probably around my age, but slightly younger asked in a confrontational tone. "You do know that's the worst plan ever, right?"

"Yeah, how do you expect us to walk all that way? Something's bound to go wrong!" A man called out from the back. "We'll all die on the way there. Probably."

"Listen, if you just let me..." I began.

"I mean, you've seen all the dangers out there, and you thought that it would be a good idea to just uproot our lives and move us elsewhere." Another guy, whose attitude conveyed a false confidence in himself. "The hell were you thinking? And you even got Red in on it, too?"

"No, I don't mean for..." I stammered, still attempting to get in a few words.

"Yeah, and Shorty, too!" A woman dressed in a leather jacket, and sporting a few shoulder pads. "Did you even think about asking us first? What if we don't want to go?"

"I can't imagine why you'd want to..." I tried to reply.

The crowd continued to hurl their thoughts and opinions at me, slowly growing in volume with each sentence. Stern voices became angry ones, angry ones became shouting ones, and they eventually devolved into calling out insults, mostly about my intelligence. I continued to try to make a case for my plan, but each time they would interrupt me.

"And what are you going to do about food, eh? We don't have a whole lot here. This Megatown, was it? It probably doesn't either, so do we just leave everything behind, then starve elsewhere." The girl with too much eyeliner shouted. "Are you just wanting us to die? Or are you after something else?"

"Hey, yeah!" The guy with faux confidence agreed, a thought crossing his mind. "He could be just taking us into a trap."

"No! I don't want to..." I defended, poorly, but intensely. I was growing irritated with the crowd very quickly. "If you would just be quiet for a second and let me..."

"We don't even know you! You might be a raider! Or a slaver, or worse!"

"I'm not going to..." I said my raising my voice quite a bit, my face becoming hot with anger.

Finally, the Big Towners began to shout insults again, not even taking turns. They had snowballed their own ideas about me into much more drastic places that were not true to reality. I felt that same white hot anger flash through my mind for just an instant, but it was enough for me to feed off.

I stomped my foot on the ground, wholly fed up with their unreasonable attitudes. "Shut the fuck up! All of you!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Shut! Up!" I growled through gritted teeth.

They all closed their mouths immediately. I was free to speak.

"You are all pathetic." I began, already off to a poor start. "You all hate the way you live, and wait each and every day for a way out, but then it finally shows up and you won't take it!" I roared at them. "You cower behind your fear of the unknown as if it's an excuse not to make a better life for yourselves, then, as soon as I leave, you'll look to the heavens for another chance, as if you deserve another one! That much I'm sure of!"

"What do you..." A man began, but I was not going to allow him to finish.

"Not. One. More. Fucking. Word." I commanded, marching closer with each word. "I get that you're afraid! I understand that! Really, I do! But you people are chickenshits! You won't leave a place where you know you're in danger because there might be discomfort on the way? Are you kidding me?!" I raised my arms in the air, searching for a way to make a better point. I was having trouble focusing my thoughts as the rage only festered. I hunched over, shut my eyes for a moment, and tried to regain my composure.

"Is that it?" the girl with too much eyeliner taunted.

"No. That's not it." I growled. "You're all afraid, afraid of what might be, instead of what is. So I'll make you a promise. Is that what you want?" I asked rhetorically. "I'm leaving tomorrow, with or without any of you. I have things that need to be done, and I won't sit around with my thumb up my ass while you throw a pity party." I looked around at each of them, taking care to meet each pair of eyes. "But if you do come with me, then you will make it to Megaton. You will survive, because I will personally, using everything within my power, kill anything that threatens you. Nothing that exists will hurt you while under my protection. Come man, beast or otherwise," I raised my hand in front of me, then clenched tightly, "all will die by my hand, in the same way." I concluded, then let the sentence linger in the air.

None of the townspeople stirred. They just stood with their eyes locked on me.

"Think about it. If you're leaving with me, then be ready to go in the morning. I won't wait long. Take too much time, and you're on your own. End of story." I advised, then turned my back on the group. I walked back to Red's house, where she and Shorty were waiting. Neither of them muttered a word, but I didn't need them to. My mind was made up, and I had done all I could do for the residents of Big Town.

I had either placed the choice of their fate directly in their hands for the first time, or I had just insulted them in their own homes. Personally, I didn't care either way.

I re-entered Red's house and sat back down on the floor.

"Damn, they got you pretty fired up, didn't they?" Jackie remarked from the couch, rolling onto her side. "I could hear you in here, loud and clear. Almost didn't recognize you."

"What do you mean by that?" I mumbled, trying not to sound angry with her.

"Nothing. Just that it didn't sound like you. It was deeper, a bit more ferocious than usual." Jackie explained. "That's a compliment," she added when I didn't respond.

"Let's hope it got through to them," I stated simply, then laid flat on my back.

"You want the couch?" Jackie asked, looking down from atop the furniture.

"I like the floor."

"You can get up here with me."

"I doubt we'd both fit up there."

"Makes it all the more fun."

"I've been mutated today to an unknown extent, soaked in blood and rain for half of it, and sore for all of it. I'm tired. I want to sleep."

"Okay, okay, I get it. G'night, grumpy."


	17. The First of Many

Chapter Seventeen

The First of Many

 _~ September_ _9_ _, 2277 ~_

Honestly, when I exited Red's home the next morning, I was very doubtful that anyone, other than Jackie, would be leaving with me. My speech, if you can call it that, was less than empowering to the residents, so imagine my surprise when I found everyone packed up and ready to go across the bridge. Something I had said must have struck a chord because they all were excited to being the journey, or maybe they were just a faking it so I wouldn't chew them out again. Either way, I was glad that I wouldn't be making the long trek back to Megaton alone.

I was sure that it was going to take me at least until midday to get back to Megaton, barring any troubles, so it was especially fortunate that they were ready to leave before I was. I didn't want to wait any longer.

"Hey, Paul!" Jackie called out as I closed the door to Red's house behind me. She jogged over to me from across the bridge, somewhat cheery, despite the possibility of being ripped to shreds out in the wasteland that day. "Looks like you're more persuasive than you thought, huh?"

"Looks like it, I guess. Maybe I underestimated them, and how much they wanted to leave this hell-hole." I replied, still doubting myself a fair bit. I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "I just hope that I'm not being hasty. It sounded all good yesterday, but I really have no idea if it'll work out." I began to walk towards the bridge, Jackie maintaining a position beside me.

"Why's that? Didn't you have it all figured out? Down to the numbers?" she asked with a bit of tease.

"Yeah. I mean, I know where everyone can stay, but I really don't know how the Megatonites will react. They're a little rough on outsiders for a while, but I don't think they're dangerous."

J"I think they can handle a less than stellar welcome, don't you? Maybe even a few mean looks!" She commented, nodded her head towards the small cluster of humans, and then smirked.

"I'd hope so. If not, then this place apparently isn't as bad as I thought and I'm wasting my time." I scrunched up my nose and glanced around the soon to be a ghost town.

The Big Towners, rather, the former Big Towners, were chatting at the edge of town. Dusty was still standing around nervously, his gaze never leaving the horizon. Red was sitting atop of a red, two-headed cow, which was mooing in the most agonized tone I've ever heard come from an animal. Shorty, whom I could not tell if he was standing or kneeling, was fastening a buckle on the side of the cow.

They all fell silent as I approached, waiting for me to speak up. I actually liked the thought of people being quiet for me even if it wasn't for the sake of respect.

I summed up my courage looked at each of them. "Everyone ready to go? All packed? 'Cuz I'm not coming back once we leave, not even for your one of kind family heirloom that's worth millions. Actually, scratch that. May come back for that, but not anything else. You get the point."

"Can we just go?" the girl with too much eyeliner complained. "I hate being out in the sun, anyways."

"You'll live, Bittercup." The man with false confidence assured her, simultaneously slicking back his hair and giving her a quick smile.

"We all will live," I interjected. "Get that thought out of your head, that you're all going to die. We're going to make it to Megaton, okay?"

"Yeah, I'll believe it when we get there." The woman wearing a leather jacket argued.

I defused the conversation quickly and ignored any further negative comments. I pulled up the map on my Pip-boy. I reviewed the route we were taking a few time already, but I wanted to make sure that I was clear. I zoomed in on the marker I had placed for Megaton and then scrolled over to the marker I had made for Big Town. The roads would lead right back to Megaton, so we wouldn't be hoofing it through the fields the whole time, and I was thankful for that much, considering the previous day.

I held my shotgun in one hand and raised my other over my head to make a motion to follow. "Take a good look, because this is the last you're going to see of old Big Town." I marched to the front of the group, ready to fire at anything that might threaten us. One by one the people turned their back on the town and joined me in our exodus.

"So, I think some introductions are long overdue," Red spoke loudly. She turned around on the cow and rode on it backward as it slowly trudged up the hill. She reached down and tapped me on the shoulder, calling for my attention. "The girl there with all the dark clothes on is Bittercup. She's a little hard to get to know, but she's nice when you do. Kimba there is the one in the leather. Tough, but not as much as she pretends."

"I heard that," Kimba replied with a huff.

Red ignored her and continued to point at the others. "Pappy is the old man over there."

I whipped my head around. "What old man?"

"Well, he's not really old, but he's older than the rest of us." She clarified. "He's about twenty-five."

"That's not old, that's only six years older than I am," I added. Finally, a grim realization crossed my mind, one that I should have seen much sooner. "Wait, if he's the oldest, then..." I looked back at all the people, each of their faces, and everything began to piece itself together. "How old are you people?"

"Probably no older than you. A few younger." Red replied as if it weren't a big deal.

"You're all just a bunch of teenagers? Why in the hell were you all living out here on your own?"

"Because the little bastards where we lived before threw you out when you turn sixteen, and send you to the fabled kingdom of Big Town. A load of crap is all it was." She grumbled.

"When you turn sixteen? Like you're all kids there or something?!" I asked incredulously, feeling as though I had misheard her.

"Yep." she continued, unimpressively.

I ran my hands through my hair, trying to wrap my head around an entire settlement of children. There was no way such a thing would be safe unless they were all immortal, unable to be harmed by even the most powerful of man's weapons. More questions swirled around in my head, virtually doubling every time, but I had more important things to focus on, so I pushed them out of my mind.

I had somehow gotten a group of teenagers under my control, and I was escorting them across post-apocalyptic D.C., without even realizing they were teenagers until then.

A masterstroke of genius, really, if genius now means the opposite.

"The other guy with his hair slicked back is Flash. He fancies himself to be the smoothest guy around, but he's really just a dork."

"Ah, I think I knew a guy like that in the vault. At least he ran a gang, though."

We crested a hill, giving us a clear view of the land before us. Long stretches of cracked roadways snaked across the ground, but most roadways were not going to take us to our destination. Only one would, and I started down it.

We proceeded in that manner for quite a while. I let my Pip-Boy radio play music in an effort to break the silence and ease the tension. Three Dog did his interlude in his typical manner, dispensing the news in a charismatic and humorous way. He spoke about my father again, reminding the people that he was not familiar with the ways of the wastes and that they should help out should they see him.

I sighed to myself as he finished his news report. I had been missing for long enough that wherever my father had gone after meeting with Three Dog he had most likely abandoned. I had taken one step forward by going to Galaxy News Radio, and two steps back by falling. Dad still had no idea that I was looking for him, and I doubt he had any idea that I was on the surface either. I wouldn't chalk it up to Three Dog admitting on air that he had sent me to my death, should my father be listening at the time.

I still had my father's note that he had left in Vault 101, but I really doubted it was going to give me much to go on since it was most likely written under the assumption I was staying in the vault. Honestly, though, I was also hesitant to read it because I somewhat angry with my father. He had just up and left without so much as an explanation, let alone a goodbye.

I shook off the hindering emotion and refocused yet again on the task ahead of us. We had been in an area surrounded by cliffs that were overlooking us. They were not tall cliffs by any means, not tall enough to fall to one's death, but someone could easily hide atop them and we would never see them coming. Dusty, who was heading up the rear began to call out my name.

"Paul? Paul!" He shouted worriedly. "You need to look at this!" He said, horrified. He removed the binoculars from his eyes and looked over to me.

I immediately turned around and began to search for what the man was looking at. I held my hand up to stop the group and went to his side. "What is it?" I asked impatiently.

"We've got a big fucking problem." He said, taking a few steps back and pointing towards a small ridge a short distance away. Something was moving around behind it, but I couldn't tell what exactly. He passed me his binoculars to me so that I could get a better view of the situation.

My vision was much clearer after peering through the binoculars, but I was hardly relieved. As I scanned the ridge, a tan, scaly back with large spikes jutting upwards was rising up and down rhythmically, as if taking deep breaths, but the rest of the figure was obscured. Around the spikes appeared to be clusters of scales, almost rock-like in appearance, which blended slowly into the rest of the leathery skin.

I continued to keep my eyes on the beast as the Big Towners grew increasingly worried.

"What the hell is going on?" Flash asked, his voice conveying his mounting fear. "What do you see?"

"Shh. Whatever it is, we don't want to make too much noise." I commanded. "Just make yourself small as you can and be quiet."

Everyone did as I said, while I steadied my gaze on the beast that had begun to move into the open. It crawled out on all fours, its nose to the ground, and I finally got a good look at the monster. The face was thick, with massive teeth lining the jaw and jutting upwards. Large, curved horns sat atop its head and were none too dull either. The worst was yet to come as I would not fully realize how serious it was until it reared up to full height.

I could have stood on someone's shoulders and it would have still been able to look down on me with its piercing, blackened eyes. They were small and beady, but it hardly needed incredible eyesight. It could smell fear I'm sure. Claws more than a foot long and sharp enough to drop a hair on it and split it with ease reached out from its fingertips. They were like sabers and gleamed in the sunlight, reflecting like a mirror.

"Holy shit," I muttered to myself, and let the binoculars drop to my side. I began to turn back around and instruct everyone to move slowly and quietly, but I was too slow. They had seen the beast too clearly.

Bittercup screamed in the most ear-piercing pitch possible and ran in the opposite direction of the monster.

Jackie shouted a profanity at her, then decided to run as well.

"It's a motherfucking death claw!" Dusty shouted and fired a few shots at it, missing each time.

The death claw had most likely picked up our scent before we had even caught a glimpse of it, but I was confident it was on our trail after all the noise. It licked its teeth, already drooling at the thought of devouring us whole, and raised its arms outward.

I had faced down super mutants only a day before without a single tinge of fear, but what stood before me then was something else entirely. There was, and still is if you ask me, no proper way to deal with a death claw. They are far more powerful and much faster than any human being could hope to be. No matter how much they are wounded, their cravings for flesh are far more influential on their minds than pain. Should you find yourself out in the open as we were, you can only fight and die, or run and maybe die.

If I were to give an all-encompassing example of the wasteland itself, a death claw would suffice.

The clawed toes of the death claw dug into the dirt as it began to charge at us, sending pebbles and the like rocketing into the air. We collectively sprinted with all of our might away from it, while it roared loud enough to shake the earth. Globs of drool dripped from its maw, splashing on the ground and wetting the dirt.

Red was trying to spur the cow to run, but it was frozen in fear. "C'mon! C'mon! Run dammit!" she shouted desperately at the cow, her words failing to move it.

I reached up and pulled her off its back. She nearly fell to the ground, and I was prepared to drag her if she did, but soon regained her footing and even began to outrun me.

The death claw was inching closer to us with every passing moment, and I could already hear it breathing and huffing, completely feral, just behind us. I knew that I was supposed to be escorting the Big Towners and that I had assured them that no harm would come to them, but the death claw was something that I had not accounted for. I had only heard of in idle conversation with Josef and Ana, and I had hoped that would be all I ever heard of one.

I should have guessed that, with my luck, I was bound to encounter one eventually. I had promised to protect those people, but if I were, to tell the truth, I was only thinking one thing: I don't need to be faster than the death claw, I just need to be faster than everyone else.

I leaped over large cracks in the road, taking care not to trip, and continued running, but my lungs were on fire. I was drawing in as much air as I could, knowing that if I were to slow down for a moment, the death claw would be able to reach me.

Kimba was just beside me, Shorty was close behind, Jackie was just a few feet in front of me, but I was slowly closing the gap between us, and Red and Flash were far ahead. I was at a respectable distance from the animal behind us, but I was still pushing myself to the front. My feet hit the pavement with such force that my heels began to sting, and my legs felt battered.

Finally, the sound of its massive claws rending flesh, the sound of blood splattering on the ground, sounded from behind. The cow had been caught in the blades, but I had a suspicion that the death claw was not finished yet. Why would it be, though? There were quite a few more meals just within reach.

I took enough time to turn around and see it leave the savaged corpse of the two-headed cow, and start after us once again. I glanced at Bittercup, Dusty and Pappy, all who were behind me, and noticed their paces. They had noticeably slowed, as I'm sure we all had, though not by choice. Pappy was trailing in the back, dangerously close to the hungry beast.

I was about to shout to him when the long, clawed hand of the beast reached out and sliced him to ribbons. His shirt was immediately reduced to tatters, and his face conveyed that he had not realized what happened. One moment he was getting away, but less than a second later, he was face down, bleeding out.

I looked away as the death claw pounced on his body, unable to watch as the beast began to tear at his remains, loud slurping noises filling our ears. Not a sound escaped from him. He was already dead before he hit the ground.

I promised I would protect them, all of them, but that was one of many broken promises in my life. The worst part was that Pappy had died while only just reaching the grim reality that I was not going to save him. There was nothing to do for him.

We continued to run for a distance farther but probably for far longer than was needed. I wanted to be sure that we were no longer in danger, though I had no idea if it would track us down later. Some time later, we decided that it would be best that we at least stop for a moment so we wouldn't collapse from exhaustion.

The Big Towners were not speaking, not even Shorty. All of them were too overwhelmed by what had just taken place, and I was still reeling from the suddenness of the deathclaw's appearance. There was absolutely nothing that indicated we were in danger before it was already too late. Ever other time I had encountered an animal in the wasteland, it was no surprise. Molerats were startling when they popped out of the ground, but I at least knew they were coming, and the packs of dogs were loud by way of barking and howling.

The deathclaw, however, was completely unexpected, and far more dangerous than any of them.

"Pappy..." Bittercup choked out, her voice cracking. "That thing...killed him." She stated before collapsing to the ground and bawling loudly.

"Shit! Fucking shit!" Shorty cursed loudly, with both his hands on his head in disbelief. He paced back and forth trying to find more words to express himself but came up short.

Dusty was still holding his gun in the other direction, shaking violently, but involuntarily. He didn't mutter a single word but breathed heavily.

Red was sitting on the ground, her bandana in her hand and shaking her head. Kimba had joined her and was seated right by her side. They just sat without exchanging a word with one another.

Flash, however, was simply furious. He stomped over to me and pushed on my chest, apparently trying to start a fight with me. "What the fuck was that about?" He shouted demandingly. "Why the fuck were you running, you coward?!"

My face grew hot with anger and embarrassment. "I could ask you the same question, bitch."

Flash gritted his teeth. "Yeah, but you were supposed to protect us you dumbass! You weren't supposed to run away from anything! You made a fucking promise that we would be safe!" Flash pushed me back again, and I took a step back. "What? Was all that shit you gave us yesterday all for nothing? You tell us how worthless we are, tell us about how much better it is outside of Big Town, then leave one of us to die?!"

I stepped forward, looming over Flash. "Oh? Tell me how I'm the only one who didn't help him. Tell me how I'm the only one who's guilty here, and how I'm somehow supposed to face down a ten foot tall monster with swords for fingers?" I pushed him back further, stepping firmly as to assert myself. "How about you climb out of my ass? I. Fucked. Up. That what you want me to say?" I asked condescendingly. "Hm? That what you want?"

"Took the words right out of my mouth." Flash hissed.

I frowned. "Don't bet on it," I growled lowly. "There was nothing I could have done. That thing was too strong and too fast."

"But you didn't even fucking try!" Bittercup shouted, her makeup marking her cheeks with black lines. "How do you know that you couldn't help him? You could have shot at it, or blown it up!"

"Do I look like I have any explosives on me? I used the only one I had breaking out of Germantown. Besides that, I really doubt that a shotgun was going to make a difference to that thing. Did you happen to see the size of it?" I argued, despite the hard reality setting in. Pappy had, in fact, died because of me, no matter what I told myself. I was the one who insisted the people of Big Town follow me to Megaton, and I had taken on the responsibility of protecting them along the way. The responsibility of Pappy's death was on my shoulders alone, and I had done nothing to prevent it.

"All I hear are excuses!" Bittercup continued to scream. "If you're so tough and brave like you pretend to be then why were you running away from the danger? Why wouldn't you run to it?! Do what Pappy couldn't?"

I bit my tongue. I may not have displayed strong leadership up to that point, but I knew much better than to admit my fear to a group of people who were already terrified.

"There was nothing I could do," I repeated. "I couldn't help him," I said, really trying to assure myself alone.

Bittercup shook her head and walked away. Flash did the same, but after looking at me with the most disgusted look he could muster.

I stood there, feeling utterly defeated. Such a hard blow was made even more poignant after the pride I had felt of helping others earlier in the day. I was doing something I thought I could be proud of, but, after the deathclaw, I was only ashamed of myself. My mind again returned to the Overseer, but I reasoned that the two situations were entirely different.

Yes, they were different. One situation had a monster who had no restraint, the other had a deathclaw.

I sat down on the ground and looked at the asphalt. I pushed a few rocks around with my fingers, arranging them into a row while everyone took a little bit of time to catch their breath. My heart was still beating rapidly, the words of both Bittercup and Flash stirring it to fury, but shame as well. One part of me wanted to punch them straight in the jaw, but another wanted to curl up and try to forget what had just happened.

I was a going to continue wallowing in self-pity when Jackie plopped down next to me.

"Forget about them," she said simply, "I get it, they're just being emotional right now. You were just as scared as the rest of us." Jackie tried to prevent her hair from blowing in the wind, while a strand got caught on her lips. "If it's worth anything, I agree with you. I don't think there's anything that you could have done, not without sacrificing yourself anyway. And unless I'm mistaken, you still have things to do out here, right?"

"Yeah. I still have to find my dad." I said, repeating my goal like a mantra. "Just gotta find him, and everything will be alright. Everything will be just fine. No more running across the wasteland like a maniac, just trying to live life."

"Hm. For what that is." She replied, devoid of any humor. Jackie leaned back on her palms and looked up at the clouds. "Guess we're both looking for family, huh? You with your dad and now I've gotta find my brother."

"Really? I figured you were done with him."

"I am. I just want to tell the only family I have left goodbye. A proper one."

I looked over with surprise. "Just like that?"

"If it has to be. Hopefully, he'll see his little sister leaving him behind, turning her back on him, and something will click inside that tiny brain of his," she said, resolute. "It's the only thing I can think of that may get him out of the raider groups. He's so deep in, so stuck on them, that I really wonder if he'll care anyway."

I fumbled over a few responses, not really knowing how to respond appropriately. "I'd leave a group of raiders for you." I finally said.

Jackie looked at me confused, then tried to smile, even though there was quite a lot she was thinking about. "Is that supposed to be a pickup line?" She deadpanned.

"Did it work?" I asked sarcastically.

"Maybe," Jackie responded in a sing-song tone.

My face may have turned slightly red, but only a little. I stood up and dusted myself off. "We should keep going. It's not too far to Megaton now." I put my shotgun over my shoulder and marched onwards.

The rest of the Big Towners, grumbling all the way, got up from the ground and followed suit. The brahmin had been carrying a fair bit of supplies, so they were all eager to reach Megaton as soon as possible, despite not wanting to travel with me for much longer.

The rest of the trip was not much farther, and before long, the dark, metallic walls of Megaton appeared over the horizon. Shorty made a few comments about the wall being much better than the one they had at Big Town, but nobody else was impressed.

While we approached the gates, I could practically feel Stockholm, the sniper, watching our every move. I looked up at him, and sure enough, he tried to hide.

I sighed, as the gates had not yet opened. "C'mon Stocky, it's just me. These people are with me, too."

He looked over the ledge with a perplexed look on his face. No words escaped him, as usual, but his face conveyed the only emotion one would experience when seeing someone they thought had died. Stockholm slammed his fist against the button, and the large engine above the gates roared to life. Fire spewed from it, and the wall began to lift.

"Damn. Makes our defenses back home look shitty." Flash said in awe.

"They're not all that great. They're just...whatever." Bittercup complained, though no one really listened.

I pushed the latch on the fence up and felt a sense of familiarity wash over. The gate squeaked and opened slowly, revealing that same crater right in the middle of town. The Big Towners all looked about as if trying to grasp the size of the town, despite their former home being called big.

Red pulled me aside as the others began to walk down the hill.

"Something up?" I asked.

"Thanks. For everything, despite what happened earlier." Red said with sincerity. "I know that the deathclaw and Pappy must have hit pretty hard for you, especially after they all pinned the blame on you. Thanks for sticking around, too. Most people would have just walked off."

"Well, there are a lot of shit people out here," I added.

"Still, thank you for getting most of us here safe. We may be shaken up, but we'll manage. We are in a safer place after all. Things are looking up, more or less." Red assured. "So, you going to relax for a while?"

"Nah, I've got a few things to take care of. A few people to spook. I'll see you later." I declined.

Red waved, then jogged after the other settlers, kicking up dust all the way down the hill.

"So, um, where are you headed now, anyway?" Jackie spoke up, sliding around to my front and trying to make her presence apparent.

"I've got to find my friends. Hopefully, they'll still be around, and then I'm heading off to find my dad." I explained, starting up the walkways and towards Moriarty's Saloon.

"Well, um, come back and see me again! Sometime!" Jackie called out awkwardly. "Okay?"

"I'll be sure to," I replied, not even slowing my stride. My mind was already focused on the return to Moriarty's Saloon, and my inevitable encounter with the owner. The last time I had spoken to him, I was dragged out his door while he hurled insults, which was especially demeaning after telling him that he would answer for any further abuse of Gob or anyone.

Eyes were focused on me as I walked over the walkways, climbing higher in the town. Whispers filled the air, some confused and others scared, but all with a certain degree of emotion as I grew closer to the bar. I could already hear shouting, cursing and heavy objects being thrown inside long before I was in reach of the door.

I took one final moment to ready myself, then kicked the door open.

Moriarty had his fist raised above his head, a broken bottle in the other, and eyes hot enough with fury to burn a hole in the ground. Gob was cowering on the ground, blood coming from various cuts on his face and body and covered in bruises.

My face grew hot with anger at the site. I took two large steps towards the angry owner, grabbed him by the hair and slammed his face on the bar with tremendous might.

"Fecking shite!" He managed to spit out after stumbling a few steps backward. He placed one hand on his newly crooked nose and winced with pain. Blood began to drip from it and onto the ground, splattering on the metallic tiles. "Who the fuck are..." He began, then stopped as the color drained from his face.

"Who the fuck am I?" I asked menacingly and completed his sentence. "You know exactly who the fuck I am. And you know exactly what I said last time I caught you abusing Gob, don't you? Now it's time to pay for it." I hissed. My heartbeat was quickening, and I was beginning to enjoy the look of fear and confusion on his face.

A few people ran from the bar and out into the town. I could hear them calling for help, and knew I wouldn't have long to a group of people showed up.

I wrapped my hand around Moriarty's neck and slammed him against the wall. His fingers grasped at me, but they would not loosen my grip. His eyes searched wildly for a weapon of any kind to use against me, but he was too far out of reach.

"You're... Dead! You died!" He coughed out, then gasped for a breath of air.

I pushed him against the wall once more, then dropped him to the floor. He fell to his knees and rubbed his neck, breathing heavily and coughing painfully.

I looked at Gob, who was completely flabbergasted, but not quite afraid. I gave him an understanding look and then turned to leave. Those who remained in the saloon didn't move a muscle. They only watched in disbelief as I strolled casually to the door and turned the knob. I looked over my shoulder one last time, back at Moriarty. He had lifted himself to the counter and was leaning all of his weight on it.

"You died!" he shouted, still not grasping the reality that I was standing in front of him. "You were dead!"

I chuckled to myself. "No. I didn't," I declared proudly, "Keep that in mind next time you beat up on someone," I said before slamming the door behind me. Josef and Ana were not in the bar, but I was sure at least one of them would come running soon enough, especially with all the ruckus I had caused. I walked over to the railing and looked over the town.

People had stopped doing what they were doing and had looked up in my direction. They didn't seem angry, for the most part, but seemed concerned.

"All right, prick!" a distinctive and familiar voice shouted. "I don't know where you're from, but you're going to leave..." She continued until I turned to face her. "Christ..."

I waved casually, attempting to maintain a cool persona. "Hey, Ana. What's up?"

Ana lowered Orange and blinked her eyes tightly a few times. She rubbed her right eye, then brushed her hair out of her face. "Paul? Is...Is that you?"

"In the flesh," I said, holding my arms out to the side and puffing out my chest.

I could practically hear the gears inside her head turning wildly, trying to understand that she was not just seeing things. The way she would express this, however, was with a small chuckle, then full on laughter. "Paul!" She shouted joyously, then leaped towards me. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly, laughing.

I set her back on the ground, gleeful that I was welcomed so happily. She brushed her hair back again a looked up and down a few times, still having trouble processing my sudden return.

"How did?" she began, then paced back and forth. "Where did they? Ugh! I have so many questions, but first things first! We have to go find Josef, he'll be so happy!" Ana exclaimed, then pulled my arm, suggesting that I follow. "C'mon! Let's go!"

She nearly began to run, but seeing that I was not, she slowed her pace. "God, I have to be dreaming, right? We both watched you die, right after you fell."

"Yeah, well it's a bit of a story. I'll tell you about everything when we find Josef. How is he, by the way?" I asked as we started down a ramp. We passed by Craterside Supply and continued to the next walkway.

"He's been taking it kinda hard. We both were, really," she explained. "He's been out every day trying to find out where they took you. I went along with him, but no sign of you turned up. Not even any mutants." She looked back at the saloon, catching a glimpse of a few people barging in.

"I figured they must have moved out pretty quick. Took me a pretty good distance from the Mall." I looked at the saloon as well, but not for too long as I saw Moriarty exit the building. He leaned on the railing irritably, then slammed his hands on it. I chuckled at his frustration, confident that he deserved more than just a small inconvenience. "So where is Jo?'

"He's probably somewhere outside the gates. I think he said he was going to Springvale to look around for some stuff."

"Stuff like?"

"Don't really know." Ana shrugged. "He's been really secretive about it, and every time I ask about it, he just grins and says I'll find out soon enough. I told him not to go, though. Some raiders moved into the school not too far from here, so it's really not safe." She looked around as if making sure no one was in earshot. "To be honest, though, I don't think we're safe here, either. They're bound to come knocking on the door one of these days, so it's only a matter of time."

I sighed and tugged at sleeves. I rolled them up and fastened them just above my elbows. "I guess we'll go in there and clean them out sometime," I said, not realizing how strange that sounded coming from me.

Ana stopped for a moment and looked at me strangely. "You want to go in there and wipe out a bunch of raiders? You?" She asked incredulously, pointing at me as if I had named someone else.

"Yeah. That's not a problem or anything is it?" I replied nonchalantly.

"No, it's just you usually..." She trailed off. "It's nothing. Forget it." She concluded.

Apparently, I had said something out of character. I did notice it, though, and it was quite surprising to hear such things coming from myself.


	18. Catching Up

Chapter Eighteen

Catching Up

 _~ September_ _9_ _, 2277 ~_

Josef must have had quite the surprise to not even let Ana in on it. Call it a hunch, but I believe he would've been much more likely to tell his secrets to her than he would to me. Especially so, considering he was still under the impression that I had bit the big one on our excursion into the Mall and dead people are notoriously bad listeners.

"Do you see him anywhere?" I asked, my eyes squinted and holding my hand against my forehead to shield the bright sun above. "I'd hate to go knocking on any doors around here asking if they've seen him."

Ana looked over her shoulder and made a face. "Something tells me that not many people in Springvale are going to answer the door."

I stepped off the small cliff and marched down the hill. "You think? The place isn't very neighborly, is it?" The ground beneath my feet loosened and sent me sliding the rest of the way. I didn't fall, but I was thrown a bit off balance. My arms that flapped wildly in the air acted as the perfect counterbalance to the shifting earth.

I could hear Ana behind me, the assault of a bad case of the giggles. Although to be fair, I probably looked ridiculous waving my arms like a maniac.

Once the ground became steady again, I had stopped just short of the same road I first set foot on in the wasteland. The same eye-bot was floating in a way that exuded positivity and still played patriotic songs from some radio signal that I could easily pick up on my Pip-boy 3000. I walked up to it and held my hand out.

The robot stopped just short of it and bobbed back and forth not unlike how a boat does when tied to a dock. The tune it was playing, _The Battle Hymn of the Republic_ , was about to conclude as I stood in its path.

Ana had also come down from the hill behind and was approaching. I turned around and looked, and she shrugged.

"Hello, America!" A soothing voice that dripped with southern roots barked out, full of enthusiasm.

I nearly took a step back at the sudden expulsion of words coming from the otherwise wordless automaton.

"I've been thinking quite a bit lately about the current state of things. The current state of our great nation." he began. "Many voices have been speaking on the subject, and not all have been glimmering with hope, so I have decided that I shall step forward and speak as well. My hope is that, despite what you have heard, these hopeless words, in these darkest of times, you will not give up on the United States of America. I hope that you will hold fast to what makes us different, unique, in this world of ours: perseverance!"

I looked around at the wasteland, wondering where the yet unnamed voice was going. Surely he was not going to say that everything was just fine.

"Sweet America, I dare say that perseverance is one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal, next to unity and patriotism, of course."

"Yeah, I'm sure being loyal to old Uncle Sam is on everyone's mind right now." Ana jeered, then elbowed me in the side.

"That is to say, dear America, we can only pull through this by persevering. Times may not be as they once were, but that does not mean that they shall never be so again. Why I remember the days of my childhood in rural Kentucky: full of innocence! Days long past, mind you, but days far from irrelevant. You see, these days of peace and prosperity are to be a model for our beautiful country, for what we can become once again through hope, unity, and perseverance." The man continued. "This is why we, the Enclave, are working around the clock to make this nation whole once again, for you, the citizens. That is what this is about, is it not?" he asked rhetorically, considering that he was speaking over a radio signal.

"Hold fast, America, and be strong, as we will rebuild one day soon. It will be as if all were made clean as if the war had never ravaged our world. No longer will we face marauding bands of ne'er do-wells, hyped on illicit substances. No longer will we face horrendous beasts brought to life by the radiation that plagues our world, and no longer will you cower when night falls, terrified of criminals, prowling, seeking to devour you whole." He assured, his emotions growing more powerful by the moment. "Stay strong, sweet, sweet, America, for all will be made beautiful once again! This is your president, John Henry Eden, signing off." Eden assured, then ended his transmission.

The small circular robot once again began playing patriotic tunes and floating around, as if nothing had happened.

I stepped out of the way and allowed it to pass. "Guy's off his rocker," I said confidently, "I've heard of the Enclave before, but a president? Really? What kind of authority does he think he has? Better yet, who is listening to him?"

"Yeah, and how did he get to be president, anyways?" Ana scoffed skeptically. "Don't you have to be elected for that?"

"Yeah, that's how it used to work, pre-war. My teacher in the vault always said it was a big deal. People acted crazy about their favorite candidate, but in the end, it didn't really matter. Most of them were just shit in the end."

"Guess that's how the war happened then, huh? People were just following the shiniest piece of shit like they were mindless." Ana surmised. The eye-bot floated near her once again. She reached out and patted the top of it, sending it slightly down, but it bounced back up immediately after.

"Probably. I doubt the people were itching for a nuclear holocaust." I punched the robot and sent it careening off course. I shook my hand, my knuckles stinging a fair bit. Punching a solid metal orb was not my brightest idea. "Oh well, politics aren't going to change anything now. Let's go find our friend, shall we?" I suggested. I turned around walked a few steps backward, making a motion with my hand that was not aching.

"Oh, let's!" Ana said cheerily.

We continued down the street, passing a few rusty cars, then just by Silver's house. I still hadn't paid her a visit, but I told myself that I was only going to return when I had some way to repay her for her kindness when I first left Vault 101.

A little farther down the road, I spotted a house I hadn't seen before. Granted, I hadn't been in Springvale very much, but this one stood out from the rest. It was pushed back pretty far from the street and had a long driveway leading up an incline to it. There was also a fenced in area behind it, which was probably a nice backyard before the Great War. The house itself was a bit larger than the rest of in town, made of solid, red bricks that had become quite dirtied in the past two hundred years.

"You think he'd be hiding his secret in there?" I asked, and pointed with my thumb. I hoisted my bag up on my shoulders and started up the hill without waiting for a response. "I'm going to look."

"Well look at you! Showing some initiative out here today." Ana commented and patted me on the back. "A near-death experience must have really been the kick in the pants you needed, huh?" She said, obviously a bit nervous about making light of the situation.

"Yeah, maybe I should jump off a building more often!" I responded gleefully, relieving the anxious tension. "Maybe we all could? I'll show you how it's done. Takes the right amount of finesse."

"Mmm...I think I'll pass." She smirked. "It's probably more fun to watch." She continued. "God, that sounds dark." She remarked.

"Well, it's your loss."

While we walked up the hill, I could practically feel her eyes scanning me skeptically. She wasn't being inconspicuous about it, and I was beginning to feel a bit self-conscious. I knew Ana well enough to realize she was going to notice anything strange, which was just great since she fancied herself a sniper. She was a better shot than I was, at least.

When we reached the top of the hill, the gates to the yard were locked. I grabbed the black, though very rusted, iron bars and pressed my face between them. I was about to call out, but Ana beat me to it.

"Hey, Jo! You around here? I've got a surprise!" She shouted excitedly. "You're never going to believe it!"

A few loud thumps, some clanking metal and a yelp (obviously from him) came from behind the house. Moments later, Josef emerged from around the corner, covered in muck, grime and what appeared to be oil. He was wiping his face with a towel, though it was so dirty that I don't think it was much help.

"What have I told you about being on my lawn, ya damn kids!" he called it in a crotchety elder man voice. "I'm going to call the authorities on you hooligans if you..." He continued, until removing the towel from his face and then wiping his hands on it. His eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of both of us standing at his gate. "What in the fuck..." He asked so eloquently. The rag dropped to the ground and was caught in the slight breeze. It flopped and fluttered until getting caught on a decorative rock.

"Sir, may I interest you in some Girl Scout cookies?" I said, squeezing my face a bit farther into the bars. "We have macaroons." I assured, lengthening the, "Oo", sound to emphasize.

Josef looked at me blankly, straight-faced as possible.

I returned his blank look.

Ana also looked at him blankly, but with an uncontainable smile on her face.

The rag blew over the rock and flew over the fence, never to be seen again.

"Huh. I at least figured I had another few years before I lost it completely." He said to himself, lacking any sort of emotion, and shrugged.

I rattled the gate. "So you going to let me in or what?"

A flash of awareness went across Josef's face, and he hurriedly opened the gate. Just as I stepped through, has spread his arms out, hands made into fists, and let out a shout loud like a warrior. The smile on his face was of pure, unfiltered joy like nothing I had seen in the wasteland thus far.

I mirrored him, and we both leaped into the air for a powerful chest bump.

"Damn, Paul, you're still not dead?" He asked, pushing on my chest. "How the hell did you survive a fucking drop like that?" He threw one arm around me and tried to put me in a headlock. I wriggled out from his grip and pushed him back.

"Yeah, I'm still waiting for that, too. And you can tell us since we're all together now." Ana said, clasping her hands together, and narrowing her green-blue eyes. "Yeah? Sound good?"

"I'm going to tell you everything soon, I promise," I assured the eager woman demanding an explanation, "And honestly, Josef, what did you expect? Did you think a measly two stories is enough to kill me?" I said, standing up tall. "Pshaw!" I tossed my head back.

Josef let go and looked up at me, a wry grin spreading across his face. "Nah, you're too damn stubborn die like a good boy."

"Yeah, we can't count on you to even croak right," Ana added, although chuckling a bit to herself.

"I'm sorry, I'll try better next time," I replied, my hand held in the air. "Enough joking at my N.D.E., though, I'm sure you're itching to hear my story, right? And I' itching to see what new house you've claimed for yourself."

"Ah, that," Josef said as if he were unaware that such a fine home was behind him. "Welp, I figured it was time to move out of the old shack, and this was right nearby. It's pretty cozy, and has enough space for all of us." Josef explained as we started towards his doorstep. "I was only getting it ready for two people, but there's plenty of room for you, too."

"Who's the other person living here?" I asked, somewhat obliviously. A gust of wind blew across the land and sent my jacket flapping wildly.

Neither of my companions said anything.

A few more moments passed until I began to connect the dots. I looked at Josef, then to Ana, then back to him and smirked. "Ohhhh. I see what's going on here." I said cheekily.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on!" Ana waved her arms back and forth, crossing one over the other. "It's not what you're thinking, alright! I just have nowhere else to stay since I can't go back to Tenpenny Tower. That's all! Nothing else is going on!" She chirped, her cheeks turning a slight pink as I continued to wink at her.

"Uh-huh," I replied sarcastically.

"That's it!"

Josef remained silent, but I would be lying if I said he didn't look the least bit disappointed. He reached out and turned the doorknob, allowing us to enter his new home.

The interior was slightly less well maintained than the exterior. While the outside had a brick here or there cracked, the interior had paint chipping off the wall, and stains on the floor. Dust particles floated in the air, almost thick enough to choke, and gave the streaks of sunlight coming through the windowed door a nice foggy line to follow.

Granted, the windows on the door were cracked, but it still retained a somewhat decorative appearance in a rugged sort of way.

There was also a stairway only a few steps from the entryway led up to a second floor, complete with creaky stairs and rotted wood. They would hold together well enough so long as we didn't try to run up and down them too much.

"Come, come!" Josef motioned for us to follow, taking a few steps backward, under an archway. He brought us into a room where a couch and two chairs sat around a glass coffee table. "Have a seat, my friends!" He insisted in a jovial tone, then flopped down on the couch. A cloud of dust blew into the air around him, then slowly dispersed.

I sat down in a large, red chair across from him, my bag set on the floor next to it. Ana sat down carefully, so as to avoid another dust cloud, on the other end of the couch.

"Now that we're all gathered here," he summarized, tapping his fingers on the coffee table.

"Spill the beans," Ana said and leaned forward, elbow resting on her leg and hand placed firmly on her ghoulish cheek.

I sat back and took a deep breath. "So I'm sure we all remember the Mall, yes? Well, needless to say, it didn't end for yours truly then and there." I held my hand out, pointing to the ground, then returned it to the arm of the chair. "The mutants dragged me off, way off really. All the way to some place called Germantown. Then they threw me in a jail cell with a bunch of other people they had captured." I pulled up the map on my Pip-boy and showed them where it was.

"Must've hauled ass to get you there," Josef remarked, while Ana observed the map.

"Probably. Wasn't exactly awake at the time. Next thing I knew, I woke up on the floor of the jail with some lady looking over me. Red, she wears a lot of red, if her name didn't give that away. Apparently, she's some kind of doctor, and she kept me alive by giving me all of my stimpaks."

"And she calls herself a doctor for that?" Ana interjected.

"I wouldn't think just that. I've never seen her in action before, so she might be better than we think, but I digress." I sat forward in the chair and folded my hands. "Come to find out, all the other people have been there longer than me, especially this old guy, Arthur. He had been there for...well...no one knows, not even him. Months probably. Then there were a few other people, like this one asshole that threatened to kill me because I told him to give his sister a break." I continued, my fingers twitching as I remember how Johnny had treated me in the prison. "Anyway, we start scheming how we're going to bust out when it turns out Arthur had a plan already."

"Go on." Ana insisted after I paused for a few moments.

"The mutants drag people off to eat them or something every now and then, so we wait for that to happen, and Arthur was going to give himself up so we could escape. Things didn't go exactly as planned, and they took me, too. They...killed him." I said with the appropriate level of reverence towards the elderly man's sacrifice. "Right after, they put me in some chamber and gassed me."

"With what. What kind of gas?" Josef asked, hand on his chin. "What color was it?"

I scratched my head, trying to recall. "Um...green, I think. Anyway, I breathe the stuff in and then it does something to me. Hurt like hell, too. Like nothing I've ever felt before, then it all just stops. I feel like I weigh next to nothing at all, and all my aches and pains are gone."

"Is that why you look...well...different now? Because they mutated you?" Ana inquired. "You're taller, for one thing, and I don't think your hair looks natural. It looks like you bleached it to hell. Never seen anyone's hair so white."

"And pretty jacked, as well. Not more than me, of course, but definitely not that scrawny little thing that crawled out of the ground a while back and won't get out of my hair."

"Aw, you know you love me," I replied, crossing one leg over the other and leaning to the side. "But, no, we got into at lifting contest with a couple of mutants, strongest one got to leave alive. I won, of course." I said, lying through my teeth but in good humor. "I'm kidding. Some dumb one comes back after everyone flies the coop, and I stab him with a piece of a broken chair. I keep running, meet up with one of the others, kill another mutant, get outside, kill a bigger mutant, then leave for good."

"You killed three super mutants?" Josef questioned, genuinely surprised. "Nice job, if you're being honest, that is. How'd you do it without freaking out like usual?"

"Dunno." I shrugged. "Just did what came to me. It was one on one, though. Anyway, back to the story. I go with Red and her friend, short guy, help them gather up the rest of their settlement, then leave it all behind since slavers and mutants constantly bombard the place. That's where the new people in town came from if you're wondering. The next part, though, you're not going to believe." I leaned forward, hoping to raise tensions. "I saw a death claw."

"Bullshit." Ana asserted promptly.

"All true. We all ran like hell from it and...We..." I stopped.

Visions of fleeing from the death claw flooded back to me, specifically, about Pappy. I know it had only happened earlier in the day, but with all the excitement of reuniting with my friends, I had managed to focus on something else for a short period of time. Frankly, I wanted to keep it that way.

Pappy's face, just before the death claw ripped him apart, flashed in front of me, haunting me like a specter. His fearful eyes were still looking at me, waiting for me to spring into action and save his life. He fully believed that he was going to make it to the promised land of Megaton and continue living far beyond his previous expectations. Instead, he died so quickly that he didn't have time to realize I had failed him.

I, however, had plenty of time to realize that. I had all the time in the world, even.

Guilt washed over me like a tidal wave. He was being eaten by a monster and I was in a house, safe and sound, chatting as if nothing had ever happened. Smiling and having fun seemed like a sin after I had failed so spectacularly.

 _"They probably hate my guts after all that."_ I pondered glumly. I had made them such an important promise, then failed to deliver in a critical moment. I was rather sure they were not thrilled with my performance. _"Promised them the best and gave them the worst."_

"And?" Ana urged, and brought me out of my flashback to put an end to my sulk.

"...And we...we made it back to town." I replied shakily. "Safe and sound. The death claw wasn't much of a problem in the end. All bark and no bite, just a real exhilarating experience." I concluded, leaving out important bits. I inhaled deeply through my nose, focused on calming thoughts and exhaled in an attempt to calm my rapid pulse.

"You got lucky, then. Didn't you?" Josef asked rhetorically. He leaned back, threw his arms over the couch, and placed his feet on the coffee table. "I'm sure I don't need to remind you of what I said about death claws before, right?" He asked, that time expecting an answer.

"Yeah. I mean, no." I responded, halfway focused on my own words. "I know. Dangerous things, super scary and a big nope in a fight. Don't even try to get close to them, and don't let them get close to you."

"The biggest nope." he corrected. "Someone like Ana here would be better suited to handle them."

"Say, Ana says you've been hiding something, Jo." I began, changing the subject. "I've told my story, finally, so I think it' time you tell us what's going on." I stood up from the chair and stepped around it. I nearly tripped on my bag but regained my footing quickly.

At first, he seemed to object despite not having uttered a single word. "Are you sure? It'd probably be better if you wait just a little longer." He tried to convince us.

"Yeah, come on. Maybe we can help with it." I said and turned towards the archway. I proceeded towards the front door and pulled it open.

"So, uh, it's around back." Josef put his arm over my shoulder and pointed with his index finger. "Now bear in mind it's not finished yet, but I'm pretty close. I think you'll like it anyway." He continued as we rounded the corner.

Once in the backyard, we were all poised in front of a large garage door.

"Feast your eyes on this!" Josef exclaimed in a much too showy manner, then threw tried to throw the door open. He strained, but the door would not budge. "Fucking thing always sticks..." He grumbled, the pulled again. The door slid upwards and stopped parallel to the ceiling.

Inside was a tan colored machine of sorts. Large, dirty windows covered the front of the rectangular giant, and cracked lights sat just below them. It sat upon a veritable throne of crisscrossing bars and four massive wheels, lifting it very close to the top of the room, but not too much higher than its original stature. A white, metallic door was hanging open on the side, complete with several dents and holes, and a small, two rung ladder led up to it.

"A car?" I asked, somewhat confused. I scratched my head then looked to Josef who was beaming with pride. "Really?"

"Yes, it's a car. And a nuke is a firecracker!" He responded, taking a stride over to the large machine.

"An RV." Ana corrected, sighing a bit because of his nitpicking. "A motor home." She continued, then followed close behind him. "Does it run?" She asked, essentially taking the words right out of my mouth.

"Almost. I think. Probably." Josef answered, sounding doubtful. "The battery is dead, no surprise, and it's missing a few spark plugs, but everything else seems to be in relatively good condition."

"That's very surprising," I added as I gripped the door, climbed up and took a step inside. "I can't imagine how it lasted almost 200 years without any work done."

"That's because it didn't." Josef pointed out as he joined me in the RV. "Someone had been here not too long ago working on it by the way it looked when I found it. I imagine it was the same guy who kept the old house here from collapsing."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, so, I found this thing right after we came back from the Mall, all locked up and looking lonely. Apparently, some guy had been modifying the RV here to travel around the wasteland, judging by the big wheels on it and by how high he raised it."

"What do you think he was going to do with it?" Ana asked just after entering the RV as well. "Just take a nice Sunday drive?"

"Don't know." Josef shrugged, then dropped into the driver's seat. "But when I finally got the door open, I found a bunch of glass containers and stuff. All over the counter there." He pointed to the length of shelf running across the wall. "Found a bunch of bags of some blue stuff, too, looked like drugs. What it didn't look like was something useful to us, so I just tossed them."

"What about the guy himself?" I inquired, eyeing a distinct red stain on the floor suspiciously.

"Dead when I got here. There was a skeleton on the bed, still wearing a gas mask, so who knows what he was up to in here. I dragged him out, too. He didn't put up too much of a fight, either."

"With the stuff that lives out here, I wouldn't be surprised if he did, though." I jested. "So, have you had any luck finding what you need?"

"A little. I think the spark plugs I found are good, looks like it anyway." Josef leaned over and opened the dash. He pulled out a yellowish book, which I'm sure was much closer to white years ago. He blew some dust off the cover and thumbed through the pages. "The manual here says they're good for it, assuming I'm reading this right. Anyways," he continued and tossed the book back into the compartment, "I can't seem to find a battery for it anywhere out here. I've looked in, like, twenty cars, at least. Not a spot of luck. Fuel's fine, runs on flamer fuel tanks, or on energy cells, not that they're common."

"Huh. Well, why don't ask around in town if that's all we need?" Ana suggested, now occupying the seat beside him. "There's a shop there. Craterside Supply, isn't it? Why not there?"

The mention of the infamous junk shop sent chills up my spine, and Josef visibly shuddered. I know he was thinking the same thing I was, but neither of us wanted to speak up.

"I think we should just keep looking around here." I started to deliberately break the silence. "We could be just about to find what we need."

"What's wrong with the store? It makes more sense that walking around in an old ghost town." Ana demanded to know, turning around in the seat to look at me. "Something I don't know about?"

"Yeah, I guess there is." Josef began, his voice shaking with anxiety. "Lady who runs the place, she's uh...sweet as can be." He continued, wringing his hands. "But she's also crazy. Experiments on people, well, not on purpose. They just get involved in stuff they're not ready for."

"I heard a while back that she gave some guy a supposedly better form of rad-away. Two days later, his hands were feet and his feet were hands," I explained, even though I had not questioned the validity of the rumor. "Which wouldn't be so bad is he didn't develop taste buds on them, too."

"Dear God, all the tastes," Josef muttered, his imagination running wild. "On just his feet-hands or his hands-feet?"

"Both."

"Yuck. Nasty."

"Alright, I get it." Ana interrupted. "She's eccentric, but, now correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like that guy volunteered. Dumbass should have known that trying strange drugs was a bad idea, so it really wasn't her fault." Ana sighed and reclined in the chair. She folded her hands behind her head and put her feet up on the dash. "What is this madwoman's name anyway?"

"Moira Brown," I responded, full of reverence.

"Ooo. Scary name. Almost as intimidating as Stevie and Billy-Bob." She retorted, then laughed to herself.

"You might be laughing now, but last I heard," Josef interrupted her laugh, "She was looking for people with ghoulish qualities to experiment on."

You can be sure Ana's bout of chuckles stopped immediately.

All of our trepidation made no difference in the end. We still left the RV, taking care to lock up the house properly, and walked back to Megaton under the afternoon sunlight. Josef was still adamant about entering Craterside Supply, but I figured Moira would rather experiment on Ana than me, so I went inside. I still retained the appearance of an average person, so she would be none the wiser, unlike my slightly ghoulish companion.

The aroma of burning substances had filled the metallic building. A thick haze hung over us but hurried outside when the door was opened even slightly. It may have been unsafe to breathe, but after other certain other gasses I had inhaled, I found myself indifferent towards the thought. Various piles of junk lined the walls and lacked any sort of organization. Most of it was scrap metal pieces and electronics, which I had limited knowledge of how to make use of.

"Moira...you...you've got customers!" A man leaning against the wall shouted upon our arrival. Bags were weighing heavily under his eyes, and the fatigue plaguing his body was apparent.

"Rough day?" I asked while a flurry of stomps came from above us.

"Rough life." He responded glumly. "Working for her."

The heavy steps continued until reaching a flight of stairs around the corner, then a rapid patting came soon after until the origin of the noise stood before us. There, Moira Brown was, in all her red-headed, jumpsuited glory. She had obviously been working on something upstairs, as the smell of smoke, which was already present, grew even more potent as she approached.

"Oh, hey there!" Moira chirped, a wide smile spreading across her face. "I was wondering when you were going to come see me, Mr. Vault Pants!" She exclaimed. Moira dusted her hand on the leg of her jumpsuit, then extended it towards me as a formality. "Moira Brown."

"Paul Carver," I responded, taking her hand and shaking it. "Let's just say your reputation precedes you."

"As does yours! Coming back from the dead and all!" She squeaked. "So, what brings you around today? I hardly had any time to prepare for a guest!" She clasped her hands in front of her. "Maybe you want to help me with my book?"

"Uh, no thanks." I declined politely. "We're actually looking to shop. Battery for an RV we're working on. Preferably one that works."

"Oh..." Moira said, some of the enthusiasm draining from her face, but being replaced with a flood of fresh glee. "I'm pretty sure I have one around here somewhere!" She bounced off to a pile of junk and immediately started tossing scrap here and there.

"See, she's not so bad," Ana whispered in my ear. "She's just a little bubbly, that's all."

"Yeah, but what kind of book is she talking about?"

"Ask her, it could be interesting."

"Aha!" Moira exclaimed, then stood up straight. She raised the large box to her middle and cradled like a sacred child. "This here is exactly what you need." She declared, then dropped the battery on the counter. It hit with a dull thud and sent a fair amount of dust outwards in a ringed shape. "It still has a charge, believe it or not! This ought to get the old motor home motoring again."

"Great!" I responded. "How much?"

"Umm..." Moira tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "About four hundred caps." She said.

Her words hit me like a led balloon. Four hundred caps. I had about twenty in my possession, and I knew Josef and Ana had together seventy or so last time before the Mall. A number like four hundred was such an astronomical amount to me that I began to doubt her seriousness on the matter.

Yes, I know. We were rather poor, and she was rather serious.

"Isn't there some way you can give us a discount?" Ana begged. "We don't have that much money!"

"Look, I have to run a business, too!" she said sweetly, though doing nothing to lessen the blow. "These things are pretty rare in working order, so they go for high prices."

I ran my fingers through my hair, then folded my hands on my head. My mind ran over several scenarios of how to leave with the battery in hand, one of them being simply stealing it. "Are you sure you can't do anything to help us out?" I asked, rewording Ana's question.

"Well." Moira pondered. He eyes rolled back and forth as she went deep in thought. "I said something about my book, right?"

"Not any more than just saying you were working on one." I agreed. "What about it?"

"I need some help, and if you help me, I'll help you, 'Kay?" She explained, then tilted her head to the side and smiled.

Ana pushed me forward and took a step back. I shot her a look once I realized that she had put me on the spot.

"What do you want me to do?" I grumbled.

"Oh, you sound so gloomy!" She observed. "It's nothing too hard, but it could be very important to my book. My _Wasteland Survival Guide!_ " She proudly proclaimed. "What I need is for you to give me a few words on life in the vault. Nothing dangerous. I already have someone on that. Then I'll give you a discount, and set up a payment plan. Sound like a plan?"

My ears pricked up, seeing the light in the tunnel. "Sure, I can tell you about the vault. Sounds simple." I agreed and took a seat across the room.

Moira had heard a fair bit about me already as the people of Megaton are pretty chatty. She was very interested in my life as a whole, despite my notion that it was rather boring. I guess everyone takes interest in something, but I was caught off guard. Finally, after a long list of questions, and plenty of scribbling on a piece of paper, she concluded the interview, which really felt more like an interrogation.

Our total was knocked down to three-hundred fifty caps, with the rest of the payment due a month later. Ana and I together pooled our money to drop sixty-seven caps at once, hoping that Josef had much more a caps than we did. We still owed a large sum of money, however, but at least we didn't have to pay it all at once.

The sun was close to setting when we emerged from Craterside Supply. Josef was no longer standing outside, so we returned to the house. We found him relaxing inside the RV, seated on the driver's side, apparently waiting for us to come back.

"So how'd it go?" He asked as I stepped into the motor home just behind Ana.

I dropped the battery on the floor and stood proudly. "We did business."

"No extra limbs or drug testing?" Josef inquired.

"Just a few questions, more or less. About the vault. She's writing a book of some sort and wanted some statement from me as a foreword. No crazy stuff."

"I guess we got lucky then. How much was it?"

"Three-hundred-fifty caps. Well, it's two hundred eighty-three now. Due a month from now." I replied, wincing at the thought of my empty pockets.

Josef stumbled back like I had punched him in the gut. He sat down in a display of defeat. "Three-fifty," he said with a heavy exhale.

"Two eighty-three." I corrected.

"Too rich for my blood is what it is. So how are we supposed to come up with that many caps?"

"Depends. How much do you like Nuka-Cola?" I asked smartly.

"Not three fifty caps much." Josef retorted. He sighed and stood up from his seat. "Whatever. We'll figure that out later, let's see if the thing works to start with." He said, lifting the cluster of boxes from the ground. "If it does, then we have a way of getting more."

"Like a taxi?" Ana asked in earnest.

"Didn't think of that, but maybe. Actually, let's not. That's asking for trouble out here." He retracted as he dropped to the ground outside.

We remained inside the motor home while he replaced it and waited patiently for him to come back and start it up. Some clanking noises came from where I assumed he was until he shouted to us.

"Hey, take the key and turn it!" Josef shouted. "See if it starts!" He continued and climbed back in the RV.

I placed myself in the driver's seat and took the key in my hand. I inserted it into the hole just in front of me and gave it a twist. "It's not working," I said as the motor home squealed, but failed to start.

"Try again," Ana commanded with a point towards the key again.

I gave it another twist, but with much more gusto. No dice. A few more turns and a few more failed starts, and I was about to give up. "C'mon. C'mon." I mumbled to the automobile, on the verge of calling it off. I gave it another twist, hoping that I didn't just waste a load of caps, and get my hopes up for nothing. Finally, a loud roar filled the air.

The RV shuddered and shifter, alive like an ancient beast awakened after centuries of slumber. I felt a grin grow across my face, and I jumped up from the seat. I banged my head on the low ceiling above me, but I was elated. It didn't even phase me.

Josef and Ana were whooping and shouting, easily as ecstatic as I was at our new method of transportation.

"It's working! It's working!" Ana shouted happily as Josef slid in front of me to the seat. He immediately pressed his foot on the gas, revving the engine loudly and howling with it.

"No more walking around everywhere for us! We go in style, motherfuckers!" He shouted, then fell into a fit of laughter. "So, where do we go first?!" He barked out to Ana and me.

My mind was already focused on a singular goal that had still eluded me up to that point. "Why, where do you think?" I asked rhetorically, a wild look in my eye.

Ana and Josef both looked at me curiously, but not prepared for my answer.

"We're going back to the Mall, of course. We've got a job to finish."


	19. Among the Ruins

Chapter Nineteen

Among the Ruins

 _~ September 10, 2277 ~_

I pushed myself up against the wall as close as I could. Bullets pelted the corner like a torrential rainstorm, but remarkably louder. I stifled the urge to look at the assaulting Super Mutants as I was sure they were still at the end of the alley. Sticking my head into the fray would've been a fantastically grave mistake.

"C'mon, Ana, what's taking you so long?" I muttered, gripping my shotgun tightly against my chest. My hands were balled around the stock, tense, knuckles whitened by an absentminded clutch.

Josef was huddled behind a wrecked car awaiting a window to return fire. He flattened himself on the ground and crawled to the furthest edge, 10mm submachine gun loaded and ready to unleash. A glance in my direction let me know that the same question I had asked was also present in his mind.

Deranged cackling came from the mutants who were apparently enjoying themselves immensely. The same meaty, heavy footsteps of wasteland fame or infamy were barely audible over their barking weaponry. Still, they had found their place among the raucous.

Little did they know, though, that they were in prime position for defeat.

A glint reflected off their metallic armor pieces. Thunder came from a window two floors up that overlooked us, and a mutant's neck was pierced by a nigh invisible projectile. A crimson spray splattered on the other one's side.

"Huh?" The other grunted dumbly. His face went through several emotions at once, that is if Super Mutants can feel anything other than anger and demented glee.

Meanwhile, the other took stock of his status before collapsing to the ground, still desperately clinging to life.

Another thunderclap boomed. The mutant still standing found his body had a new orifice. He gripped his shoulder instinctively, growling irritably at his revelation.

I took the opportunity to fire at him but found my weapon was jammed at the most unfortunate of times. "Guess it's time for the old-fashioned way," I muttered. I spun around the wall and charged at the mutant.

"Dammit, Paul, hang on!" Josef bellowed from behind the car.

My footsteps were light and quick with barely enough time to plant one firmly on the ground before lifting the other. I raised my shotgun, the newly christened Chihuahua, over my head.

The mutant missed not even a moment of my advance. His thick, sausage fingers found their way around my forearm. A mighty swing followed, and I was sent sailing into the air.

I crashed into the wall, my back taking the brunt of the impact. Pain wracked my upper body from front to back and found its epicenter in my right shoulder blade. I rolled over, coughing and sputtering as the mutant laughed loudly. The gray, cloudy sky filled most of my vision, while the topmost edges of tall buildings filled the rest. Chihuahua found its place next to me on the ground.

I only returned to my previous accident in the Mall for a moment, but certainly not long enough to endanger me. Well, not more than I already was.

The calloused skin of the mutant's face, pulled tight by a harness, was pulled tighter as his diseased gums peeked out. He licked his teeth, then sniffed. His scowl was broken upon doing so. My scent apparently troubled him, just as it did the one at Germantown, as his triumphant, hungry expression vanished.

Josef shot up to full height and fired at the back of the mutant. A few bullets were redirected, their new home in the red brick wall, or absorbed by the metal armor plates, placed perfectly in small, newly formed craters. He was not dead, and relatively unharmed, save for a few negligible wounds that were only so for a super mutant. However, it was enough to divert his attention from me.

I rolled over again, flattened myself on the ground, and began to crawl away. My right arm refused to move at the shoulder, thusly reducing the speed of my maneuver.

The mutant once again fired at Josef, who ducked behind the car once again, then turned around to catch me attempting to flee.

At long last, a final boom, a final strike on the nail of his coffin, sent the mutant to the ground. But, again, he still drew breath. His legs were far less effective, though. The mutant no longer aimed his weapon but instead began to fire wildly at everything in the vicinity, obviously panicked by the unseen attacker. He seemed to forget that I was still behind him.

I propped myself up against the wall. I held my shotgun as steady as I could, and squeezed the trigger. Chihuahua, despite its name, made no small, squeaky sound. He roared with the power to rival a lion. His bite was felt by the rampaging animal before me, and it put an abrupt end to his rage. A final groan escaped the monster's maw, and he landed on the broken asphalt with a heavy thud.

I breathed a sigh of relief, nearly light-headed after the experience. Despite its previous failure, Chihuahua had not failed twice in such a short period of time. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes for a moment, each thump of my rapid heart sending another wave of pain through my rattled body, but still primarily in my shoulder.

Josef emerged for the last time from his cover and placed his hands on the dented hood of the car. He took a few deep breaths and exhaled slowly. "You alright?" He asked after a few moments. "The hell was that?"

I grimaced as another ache jumped through me like lightning. It was noticeably more tolerable, though. "I thought I could take him, really. I mean, fuck! I took on three of them before! I didn't even flinch, either! Ugh, what the hell is wrong with me?" I quizzed of myself, frustrated at my performance. I tried to move my arm once again but to no avail. I was only met with more pain screaming at me to stop.

"I really wouldn't know, but I do know that I'd prefer if you didn't try that again," Josef declared, lacking in any sort of humor, "We've already had a shit-storm here before, so let's not have another. Besides," he began, twisting his neck back and forth as if listening for something, "I was against coming back in the first place. This place is a bad time, and the sooner we get out, the better."

"Believe me, I didn't want to come back again either, but we had to." I conceded. "Now, I could be wrong, but Three Dog is probably not going to just tell me what I want to know. He'd just say," I made a face, then altered my voice mimic Three Dog's, "Hey, alright! You're alive, now you can get out there and fight the Good Fight some more!"

"Maybe, but we didn't even try first." Josef halfheartedly agreed. He turned around again, this time for a different reason, "Where is she?" He asked of the wind and debris.

"Do you think she's safe?" I inquired, not realizing how dumb it sounded.

"Ha," Josef responded dryly, "None of us are safe here. At least it's not as crazy as it was before. I haven't heard a war going on around us, and I almost wonder why."

"I don't. I'd prefer not to be reminded this place is a grade-A cluster-fuck."

"I do, the silence could mean something."

"Hopefully it means everything is dead. Makes our job that much easier."

Josef offered a huff in wordless agreement, and we continued to wait for the third member of our trio in relative silence.

It didn't take long before we saw Ana's face peek around a corner, then the rest of her body emerged from the same location. She had her head lowered, her back bent slightly to keep her as small as possible as she stepped quickly and lightly to us.

"Hey, what was the deal back there?" I asked before she was properly close to us. "Were you taking in the sights or something? Stop and look for the tour guide?"

Ana shook her head. "No, I uh, I just, um..." She stammered.

I felt some concern emanating from her. Her usual confidence was misplaced and she instead exhibited a borderline fearful nature.

"Something wrong?" I asked, feeling a bit out uncomfortable due to my comments moments before.

Ana was visibly shaken by the mutants and was visibly shaking as well. Her knees were wobbly, and her fingers twitched nervously. She was taking small, quick breaths, and her eyes refused to meet either Josef's or mine.

Josef put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back and forth gently. "Hey, hey. Ana, focus, okay? It's alright. I'm okay, Paul's okay, you're okay."

She turned her gaze to him and seemed to relax a little. "Yeah. I hear you. We're okay. It's just…" She trailed off. She searched for the words that were eluding her grasp. "When I saw them, I just froze up, for some reason. We met that one in the metro tunnels, and it was bad, sure, but...I don't know, they didn't bother me as much until we got chased in the building, then Paul fell. After that..." She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her elbows nervously. "I just..."

"C'mon, don't think too much about it," Josef interjected, "They're big, ugly and dumb, which two of those describes or friend here,"

"Hey, fuck you, too." I quipped with a wry grin in a genuine attempt to lighten the mood.

"But they aren't something you can't handle. You've got this, I trust you. Okay?" Josef patted her on the shoulder before removing his hand. "Everyone has their fears, but what everyone doesn't have is control over their reaction to their fears. Just stay calm. Breathe and think happy thoughts."

"Like their heads popping?" Ana asked, her voice still quaking slightly.

"Like their heads popping like the empty balloons they are," Josef returned with a smile.

"Yeah," Ana agreed, inhaling deeply then exhaling long and steady, "I think I can do that. Thanks, Jo," she responded. She was still anxious, but quite calmer.

"No problem, just looking out for my people," he downplayed. He gave his submachine gun a twirl. It dropped from his grasp, fell to the ground, and effectively ruined his display of dexterity.

Josef had displayed a more personal side of himself than I was accustomed to, but I hardly was focused on it. I was still reeling from the pain in my shoulder which seemed intent on persevering. "I hate to interrupt," I began, directing their attention to my pitiful position, "but I do believe my shoulder is dislocated. Please help."

Ana glanced nonchalantly. Her usual cheer had returned for the most part. She sighed and strolled over to me, "Mm. That's not a surprise. Would you do us a favor and not get beat up for a while?" She asked, falsely disgruntled.

"Now, how else would I get my kicks?"

Popping my shoulder back into its proper place only took a few moments, and soon we were back on our way. The time required for the journey to the once-war-zone was cut down considerably. Our new motorhome, while it struggled immensely, had managed to carry us to the metro tunnels again. Instead of going to GNR as we had done before, we proceeded directly to the Mall. The tunnels were rather empty, save for a mole rat or two that had taken up residence in the darkness. There were no mutants, no ghouls. Most importantly, there was no power armor clad soldiers brandishing futuristic weaponry and bringing us to our knees, then flipping a coin to determine our fate.

Despite the lack of excitement, it was a welcome change. I, for one, was glad to have something else to occupy my tumultuous mind. We had spent a whole day after my return loading up on supplies and planning our route, yet it did nothing to distract me.

It goes without saying, but my return from Big Town was still weighing heavily on my psyche. I tossed and turned for most of the night, the next day and the next night trying to fend off more visions of Pappy being cut down by the ravenous beast that had dogged us so mercilessly. My own guilt wanted me to open up to Josef and Ana about it, to ask for advice, but how could I?

How would I explain it? What would they think of me? Less or more? Would they look at me with the same disgust as the Big Towners did? I couldn't take the chance. What they did not know, would have no effect on them. They were my friends and would've most likely been helpful, but insecurities are rarely reasonable when you reach the heart of them. Typically, we are the ones who take note of them, while others are more concerned with their own.

I digress. We were but mere steps from the Museum of Technology when the mutants had attacked, so weren't required to remain in the open for much longer. Their scuffle with us was partially my fault. I had not yet learned that the ogre-like beings infesting the D.C. ruins are very difficult to end in a silent manner.

If they'd keep their damn mouths shut, that would solve most of the problem. They make so much noise.

The door to the Museum of Technology was visibly rotted. The wood was splintered and riddled with bullet holes, slash marks and other signs of damage. I neglected my manners and opened the door without knocking. Josef and Ana filed in behind me, both ready for any danger that may have awaited us.

The atrium of the museum, a place once heralded for maintaining and storing historical inventions for all to view, was as much of a mess as the rest of the D.C. ruins. A display of an early airplane, which most likely had hung from the ceiling long ago, was crashed on the floor. The wings were crinkled and folded and the crisscrossed bars that supported its frame were bent or broken. A few terminal screens were still flickering in their booths across the room, no doubt once used to dispense extra information for interested visitors.

"Okay, so what was it we were looking for, again?" Ana queried of me once she was confident we were relatively safe. Her voice echoed in the openness of the atrium. "Some dish, right?'

"Yeah. I think I remember Three Dog saying that it was part of a lunar lander," I recalled, "Knowing our luck, it'll probably be pretty deep in here.

"For all the shit we've gone through to get this thing, we'd better get a tangible reward," Josef grumbled and crossed her arms disappointedly, "I can't seem to get paid for anything. Not since I started running with you two. Used to make money, if you could believe it, was coming up in the world."

"We definitely need it more than ever now, considering Moira will be on our asses if we don't pay," Ana pointed out, with a grim tone.

If I didn't know any better, I would've thought that she was afraid of Moira.

"We will have a tangible reward," I assured my friends, despite not being confident in the statement myself, "Just give it some time, okay? Trust me." Speaking truly, however, I was the only person in our group that stood to gain anything from Three Dog's errand.

Regardless, we were in the museum and it was far too late to turn back. A single sniff revealed all I needed to know about the interior of the building. Mutants had made their home inside and were probably lurking around every corner.

I stopped and spun around. "Smells like we're not alone here," I whispered, choking back my convulsing gut. The foul odor that accompanied the savages was often too much for me. Although, I had become better at controlling my reaction to it after being held in one of their prisons.

Ana did as I had and regretted it. Her nose scrunched up and her eyes visibly watered. She coughed as quietly as she could as the ripe smell flowed through her nostrils.

"I'll take your word on the smell," Josef conceded, breathing through his mouth as to not allow the unpleasant scent to overtake him as well. "I'm going to take the lead. Stay close, follow me, and for God's sake, don't make a sound." Josef commanded, then proceeded to the nearby corner to the left of us. He glanced at it carefully, sticking to the shadows cast by the pillars in the entryway. A motion from his hand let us know that it was all clear. He rounded the corner and proceed up the stairs beyond it. Ana followed closely, while I tip-toed over to the terminals. Streaks of sunlight made the room glow just enough for me to see faint shapes in the darker recesses of the room but hardly gave enough sight to discern any details. A low, barely audible thumping could be heard coming from deeper in the building, which I attributed to any number of things I did not want to run into.

I pressed the down arrow key on the terminal keyboard and browsed the options. I found nothing of any help. The only information available was pertaining to the crashed plane behind me or was pushing a long past promotion that would reward me with a ten dollar voucher at the gift shop. It was all truly wonderful information.

A pebble struck me in the head and fell to the ground with a small crackling noise. I turned to face the direction from whence the pebble came. Josef was eyeing me, barely visible as he was enveloped by the shadows. He didn't utter a word. The face gazing at me from the darkness was stone cold, expressionless, but was silently beckoning me to catch up.

The terminal wasn't going to help us in our quest anyway, so I left the booth and proceeded up the stairs. I peered over the railing in hopes of gathering any information from the directions plastered on the wall that I had missed moments ago. Alas, they were rendered largely illegible after two-hundred years of mistreatment. I could discern a few letters and arrows, but not much else. For all I knew, the gruesome and uncivilized residents could've scratched the paint off in hopes that any visitors would wander forever while the waited like a spider in the center of its web.

I maneuvered myself along the wall, keeping the distance between it and myself tight so as to not leave myself too exposed. Perhaps I was a bit paranoid, considering there as naught but ourselves in the atrium. I wanted to build a habit of stealth, however. In the event we found ourselves sharing a room with another, I may have made myself visible to those lurking beneath me by being too close to the edge.

My footsteps were small, steady and careful. I purposefully avoided any bits of rubble or trash that were visible to me, as it would be impossible to tell what noise they would make when crushed until it had already done so. Josef and Ana had huddled next to a doorway just ahead of me, beyond the sharp right bend of the balcony.

"I said to stay close," he berated me, his words housed and stern, "What the fuck were you doing?"

"Oh, lay off," I retorted, slightly irritated at the questioning, "I was trying to help. Terminals could've had directions."

Josef shook his head. "Fine, just listen to me, do exactly what I say from here on out. No straying off, no looking around, just-"

"Well, I might've found something!" I defended, my voice growing slightly louder.

Ana shushed us both, a finger to her lips. She shook her head but refrained from any words.

Josef frowned and stood up. He pressed his body against the wall, then opened the double doors slightly. The hinges began to squeak and brought a halt to his opening. Slowly, he pushed it open a few inches more taking great care as to not make any more noise than he had to. One hand raised into the air, a signal for silence. He squinted, eyes focused on the small gap between the doors. Whatever was on the other side he made note of for a few moments, then lowered his hand. He patted Ana on the shoulder and pointed to the other side of the doors.

She shuffled over and repeated as he had done. Two thumbs up and a half smile up let us know that she had seen nothing of any worry on her side, either. Her hand pressed lightly on the door and sent it gliding across the floor until fully open. Josef filed in, then me, and Ana closed it behind her as she joined us in the next room.

The next corridor split into two halls: The Hall of Today, which, ironically, was filled with wreckage, and the Hall of Tomorrow. I could not tell what awaited us in the Hall of Tomorrow due to the layout of the room, but by the name, I should've guessed.

We rounded the corner, and I was met with a sight I thought I would never find unsettling.

"Damn it all," I muttered as I was met with a large, gear shaped door. It lacked a number but was identical to the one I had known. Beyond it, I could see the entry room of a vault, a carbon copy of the one I had left from during my final day at home.

I tried to take a few steps but found myself hesitating. I knew it wasn't Vault 101, but it sure as Hell looked like it. My companions had continued onwards and hardly showed any reaction to the place they were entering.

I, on the other hand, felt homesickness return once again.

And I felt guilt, of all things, return.

My legs found their strength once again, though my feet clung to the ground. Under the round door, I began to see myself there once again.

All it lacked was a hammer, Amata, an officer of the law, and a frenzied, bloodthirsty, homicidal vault dweller.

It also lacked an Overseer, drowning, being beaten down by that monster, that savage, that beast that lived among them.

I must've been staring for a worrying amount of time. Josef had come back to my side and was fighting for my attention.

"Paul," he whispered, "Look at me, brother. We've got to keep going."

"Huh?" I asked, my mind still trying to replay the scene in every gruesome detail, "Did you say something?"

"I said we need to go," he answered simply, "It's not good to stay here for long, okay? This isn't a good place to linger." He concluded. He gripped the collar of my jacket and pulled me along with him, but my eyes were still focused on the ghost images.

My mind swirled once again with questions of my innocence, rather, my justification as we proceeded through the false vault. I had killed him, there was no disputing that. But, had I been vindicated in doing so? Had I only done it for revenge, for Jonas? Everything added up in my mind, and a fair bit easier than before.

I had to make a decision. I was a villain, a hero, or somewhere in between. Alphonse had made a point to raise his weapon against me, and if he was going to fire it was irrelevant. He had directly threatened my life in doing so, therefore, I reacted accordingly. Almodovar's actions had cost the life of another in Officer Mack, and his own as well. It may not have been the ideal solution to the problem, but it was effective as they come. Had he fired his gun, I would've never found my father, who, for all I knew, was in danger at that moment.

I had not done anything I didn't need to do. Mack had allied himself with the Overseer and paid the price for his allegiance when it finally came down to it. I had not fired the gun. Alphonse had. If he hadn't, then both of them would still live after my exit.

Alphonse had claimed two lives on that day, and I only claimed one. I was neither the hero nor the villain, I was somewhere in between. I had done what was necessary, and there was no good and bad in that.

I had zoned out for a majority of the vault exhibit, and we soon found ourselves at the other end of it.

The replica fed us into a small room. It may have been solely for visitors to wait for the rest of their groups in. Now, though, it was for a regrouping of a different kind. I crouched once again, my wits returning as quickly as they had left upon entering my flashbacks.

"Okay, we're doing well, we've just got to keep moving quick and quiet. This place can't go too much further," Ana observed.

"On another occasion, I would be sad. I'd like to look around the displays a bit more, but today..." I quipped, hearing the thumping from earlier grow a bit louder.

Another set of doors sat just before us, and through those, a tall, multi-leveled room. Winding stairs climbed high above us and encircled a rocket display in its center. Light streamed in from above the rocket, as the ceiling had collapsed and littered the floor with dirt and debris.

More worrying than the wreckage around the impressive object was the thuds that came from one level above us. What sounded like large bags of wet sand being dropped on the ground, the lifted and dropped again, filled the room.

We were right below something. Should it have been a mutant, he would smell us soon and take a particular interest in myself. We had to move from our position, and fast.

I locked my eyes on the set of stairs just ahead of us and nearly made a dash for them. First, though, an epiphany would grace my mind. Running down the steps would not only be loud but would also put us in the perfect position to be seen by whatever was above us. If it looked down, we would be put in danger for the rest of our journey.

I stopped. I tapped Ana on the shoulder, hoping that even my slight movements had not caused too much of a sound.

She glanced at me, curious as to what I was stopping her for. Josef stopped as well, giving yet another cold, focused gaze.

I wanted to explain, but words were far too loud. I had to convey my message in another way.

Thump, thump, thump. The other occupant took another few steps and stopped. I could hear him grumbling, manically fantasizing about his next meal. My, what vivid imaginations mindless beasts have when faced with the scenario of hunger.

Then, it hit me. I waited for another step.

Thump.

I took a step, just as he did.

Thump.

I took another step. I raised my arms out to the side to ask, _"Well, what do you think?"_

Ana looked back at Josef, puzzled by my display. He returned her look but then nodded his head at me. He smirked a bit, then followed my lead.

A long, drawn out snort came from the hungry being above us. He certainly could smell us then, if he hadn't already.

I had never put much effort into planning our movements, as either of my friends typically did so. In this first instance, the pressure was crushing. My heart began to thump loudly, but not synchronized with the thumps of our, and our adversaries', steps. A cold sweat dripped down my forehead, the proceeded down my cheek and to my chin. Numerous scenarios played themselves out in sparse details in my mind, and none of them ended very well. One, in particular, ended quite similarly to my previous experience in the Mall, but markedly different in that I did not miraculously survive.

His feet quickened a bit, apparently aware that he was no longer alone in his rocket room.

We maintained our match as much as we were able, but it we soon found it was quite difficult to match such a walk cycle. It was irregular and conveyed that not even the mutant was sure of the size of his next step, nor when he would take it. Some were fast and heavy while others were slow and light, and altogether nearly unpredictable.

As we made our way down the steps, we could hear him marching down the ones above us. My plan was at least succeeding in keeping us out of sight even if it was utterly failing at keeping us completely undetected.

Louder stomping began as we reached the bottom of the stairway and the lowermost floor of the room. The mutant had quickened his pace and was no longer walking, but jogging.

I wanted to shove Ana and Josef forward, but that would've only put us in an even more dangerous situation. We had to be patient, and most of all, careful.

"I can smell you!" the mutant shouted, "Stop hiding! Die painlessly!" he demanded, his voice powerful enough to send echoes from top to bottom in the spiraling room.

I figured that, as long as we didn't make any excess noises, he would begin to question himself.

I was wrong. My heart jumped into my throat as he broke into a full sprint. I nearly tripped over myself in a desperate attempt to get myself in motion. My two friends managed to make the transition from slow to fast very gracefully, but I was not so lucky. My feet twisted under me and I tumbled to the ground.

The pounding of the mutant's feet was growing louder and I was still face down on the ground.

"Gonna find you!" he declared with mountain moving certainty. His footsteps were no longer erratic as they had been before, but were strong, eager and fueled by hunger, no doubt.

Ana broke off from Josef's side and ran back to me. She grabbed me by the arm and pulled to help me up, but it was too late. We were in perfect view of our enemy.

He grinned, teeth stained red and covered in flayed skin from previous meals. He aimed his rifle at both of us, and time slowed as I watched his finger pull the trigger.

Ana dove to the ground as a first shot dug itself a burrow in the wall. Another shot rang out, and an agonized cry escaped her lips, then a cloud of dust next to the wall. Blood began to escape from a spot on the back of her thigh, just above the knee and stained her jeans. She looked down at it and winced, then to me.

Fury of the same caliber I found while imprisoned flared to life within my chest once again, scorching my insides. I flipped myself over her and landed on her other side. I grabbed the Chihuahua and pushed myself to my feet. "C'mon! Hit me!" I growled, seething with rage, "Hit me!" I beat my fist on my chest and flashed my teeth at him in mock of their usual expression, "Hit me, you steaming pile of mutated shit! Don't make me wait!"

He hesitated for a moment, which was all I needed. I raised my shotgun and squeezed the trigger. The shot connected with the super mutant's arm, his hand immediately leaking red fluid. I took a few steps towards the stairs, firing over and over. "Die! Die! Fucking die!" I shouted deeply and viscously.

I continued to fire until the mutant was nothing but a hole-riddled corpse, his kind not fully understanding the carnage I had wrought upon him. His legs buckled beneath him and he collided with the ground in a splash of red. He tried to draw another coarse breath. I ascended the stairs, quick as lightning, and ended him with a mighty kick to his ribs.

Josef had already helped Ana to her feet, her arm draped over his shoulder. "Paul, we've got to go!" He said, giving a worried glance to her leg, "We can't get trapped in here, not like this!"

My mind flashed back to the day we departed from Galaxy News Radio plaza. I swore that I wasn't going to sit back anymore, that I wasn't going to run away. We had come so far, and we were so close. No more allowing my friends to keep me safe while not extending the same kindness to them, no more being deadweight.

"You take her," I ordered, my voice cold as ice, "I'm going to find that thing, we're not coming all the way here for nothing! Not again! You keep her safe, and I'll be back!" I shouted over my shoulder as I passed them. I reloaded my shotgun and moved towards the door.

"Shit, this is no time to play badass! We can come back later!" he argued.

"Guys," Ana interrupted, "Look, I'll be fine, all it did was graze me. I just have to..." she attempted to stand on her own, but her left leg gave out almost immediately. She yelped and Josef held her close once again.

"You stop it, too," he said to her. He looked to me again and began his attempt to convince me. His first word was interrupted by a shout from deep within the museum. "Listen to that, Paul, there's got to be more in here!"

I slung the Chihuahua over my shoulder. "That's what I'm fucking hoping for," I replied, that inferno growing hotter by the moment.

Josef looked at her, then at me, and shook his head. "Fine! Act like some maniac! We don't have time to argue, so if you go then you'd better hope you come back alive! Got it?"

"I intend to, dish in hand," I shot back, then kicked the double doors open, the wood splintered from my impact and the windows gained a new crack that resembled a bolt of electricity. I stomped through the hallway, up the small incline, and around the corner. A scowl burned itself a new grotto on my face and nestled comfortably. I could still hear them roaring from deep inside, but not a single gunshot. That, ironically, was a good sound, as I knew Ana and Josef had not encountered any trouble the moment I left them. They were both capable people, but Ana was in no shape to fight and Josef was not going to be able to maneuver as he usually would.

I was very aware that I had placed myself in a very dangerous situation, one that I may not have grasped until later, but I couldn't take any chances of them being caught in the line of fire. If I were to run into any mutants, then that would be that much less that they had to worry about. I was not about to cause another death because of inaction. Not on my watch.

I continued up the second incline, taking note of the posters on the wall. If the rocket in the previous display was not of any indication, then the posters in the corridor were; I was in the space technology exhibit. I was steps away from the lunar lander.

I inhaled deeply, then pushed the doors open. There it was; the coveted dish. Light streamed in from above, giving it a "holy artifact" vibe. It was a shame that it lacked a heavenly choir. I leaped onto the side of the lunar lander then pulled on the dish.

It didn't budge. I glanced at the screws holding it firmly in place, and let out a puff of air. "Couldn't be simple," I mumbled as I dropped my bag from my shoulders. I began to rummage through it, growing increasingly irritated by my lack of foresight. I should be guessed the damn thing wouldn't be a pile of parts. Of course, my eagerness had gotten the best of me and I was fought without the most basic of tools.

Just as I gave up on finding any sort of useful instrument, two mutants sporting bulky metal helmets graced me with their presence on the balcony above. They bellowed in glee, and one fired at me. I ducked behind the lander. A loud thud, accompanied by a shake of the ground let me know that one had leaped down to my level.

"Fantastic," I grumbled as I swung my bag onto my back.

The one that had leaped down was brandishing a large club made of rusted scrap metal pieces strapped together. The club made its way towards my body but missed me by a hair. I stepped back out into the open as the one still on the balcony took pot-shots at me.

I fired on the melee fighter once and the right side of his body was bitten several times. His face flashed with fury. He swung at me in pure rage, not taking care to aim properly.

"Get out of the way, stupid!" The one on the balcony shouted, "Let me kill little man!"

The melee mutant heard none of his commands and continued to swing at me.

I had no way of fighting them both off. I needed to stop him, but I also needed the dish. I slid out of the way of another swing. Quick as can be, he swung again and caught me on the side. I was sent flying into the air and landed with a hard thud. I groaned in pain and clutched at my side. He approached me once again, the club held in the air. I pulled the trigger on my shotgun, only one hand holding it. It leaped from my hands but fired directly at his face.

The beast was still lived, though, and grew even angrier. His grip had loosened on the club, however, and I was ready to take advantage of the opportunity. I rose to my feet despite the pain screaming for me to lie back down, and slammed my shotgun on his wrist.

I'm pretty sure it broke, but it didn't matter either way. He had dropped the club. I dashed over and grabbed it, the heft of it surprising me. It shouldn't have, though, as all mutants carry such heavy weaponry. I brought it down on the pieces of plastic securing the dish with all my might. The plastic broke in half, and the dish dropped to the ground.

The mutant on the balcony had now jumped down as well but lost his balance. He did not fall, but his advance was considerably slowed.

I grabbed the dish from the ground and made a run for the doors, scooping the Chihuahua up on the way out. A shot came from behind me while the other mutant had begun to chase me. He was right on my heels, and would soon take hold of them.

I landed flatly on the ground, my arm outstretched and the dish in front of me. I kicked at the mutant, who was also on the ground with me. I brought my other heel down on his hand, hearing a few snaps as I connected. He released me and I wriggled out from his reach. I got to my feet again and ran down the hall. Another bullet hit the corner just as I passed around it.

I ran with all my might, until my legs burned from running back up the stairs in the rocket room, the ground red with blood. My ribs felt like someone had danced a full routine, complete with pirouettes and the like, on them, but I pressed on. I passed back through the vault exhibit, hearing the two mutated fiends screaming behind me, just a short distance away. Lights flickered and crackling audio played as I passed each one of the displayed vault features, but I had no time to spare for a tour of a place I knew better than anywhere else in the world.

If only the vault exhibit had a functioning door, then all my problems would've been solved. It didn't, though. I guess the creators had not intended for museum robbers to dash through their exhibit while mutated monstrosities dog them ravenously.

I burst through the double doors, once again in the atrium. I thought for a moment to block the doors, but there wasn't much to accomplish this goal with. My feet landed at the bottom of the steps but had trouble finding solid ground to place themselves, or they themselves were not steady. I staggered into the street, then looked around wildly.

Josef, with Ana now hanging on his back, was hobbling down the street as close to the wall as possible. His pace was rather impressive, but still not quite fast enough to outrun anything that would pose a danger to him. The monument we needed to visit next was in sight as well, which isn't saying much as it could be seen from any point in the city anyway. It was very close, I should say. It was close enough that I had to tilt my head back to see the top. We could make a run for it.

Still, my pursuers were about to become _ours_ , and that was something I didn't want to happen. I bolted down the street after Ana and Josef, who heard me approaching due to my thunderous footsteps.

"The fuck are you running for?" Josef shouted, somewhat fearful of what my response may be.

"Why aren't you?" I asked as I slowed to match his speed. I turned back to the door, which had still not belched out any green-yellow skinned creatures.

"Because I have a passenger. I'll ask again, what are you running for?" He pressed.

"Two of the freaks are on my tail, and I don't know how long until they come look for us out here!" I explained frantically, "We've got to move!"

"We're not going anywhere that fast, okay?" He stated, "Not with her like this."

Ana frowned, "Sorry, I should have..."

"Don't be sorry," I cut her off, "You were trying to help me, so it's my fault. But that's about to make no difference unless we get out of here," I harped once again.

"Here," Josef shifted, "All my jokes about you aside, you're clearly stronger than I am now. Right now, I can be more helpful fighting them off, and you can be more helpful getting her somewhere safe," he explained plainly. "Take her, and I'll fight them off if they catch up."

I grunted, somewhat resentful towards the thought of me only being helpful by running away, but there was no time to argue. My bag hit the ground in a second, and I took Ana from his shoulders and onto mine. Luckily, Josef had thought much quicker than I had, and had taken the time while I was gone to wrap some cloth over her wound. It was no longer bleeding as much as it had been. I imagine my father would have wondered where all the teaching I had received went since I forgot something like that.

I thought I was uncomfortable before, but having her swinging for my shoulders added another layer. She held on a bit too tight, but I knew why. She was shaking again, but not as violently as before. I imagine she wouldn't have felt that heavy either if she hadn't been holding both of our belongings. But, that was the situation I found myself in.

My feet picked themselves up and pushed us forward much faster than Josef had been moving. I tried to maintain a steady stride as I didn't want to jostle her too much and cause any excess pain.

Josef had his submachine gun locked firmly on the doors, walking backward ready for any of them to exit the building.

He didn't need to wait for long. The two that had chased me before came stumbling out in a fury, eyes flaring and teeth gritted.

"Go, Paul!" Ana shouted as she caught a glimpse of the duo behind us, "I'll look out for anything, okay, you just keep running run!"

I grunted in agreement, but I was still conflicted. Josef was going to be in trouble fighting them both off, but I still had to get her to safety. My brow furrowed itself, and I sprinted as fast as I could down the street. Cracks, potholes, and other wreckage littered the street, merely obstacles for our escape. I stepped over the holes, then zig-zagged through the pile-up of rusty vehicles until there was a considerable distance between us and Josef. I would've continued to do so, but a new directive hit me when the first sounds of gunfire rang out.

"What are you stopping for?" Ana asked frantically, "Keep going!"

"I'm going back to help him," I stated, "We can't leave him back there to deal with both of them. Stay quiet and don't move, I'll be back," I explained shortly, then turned to run.

"Dammit, Paul, don't you leave me here! We need to keep running like he said! Come back!" She shouted and groaned frustrated.

I leaped onto the hood of a car and tried to slide over it slid over it. It was far too rusted, so I was brought to a halt immediately. I frowned and pushed myself onwards and landed on the other side while Ana continued to beg me to stay. I gripped my weapon tightly, bracing myself for the upcoming conflict.

Bullets sprayed from Josef's weapon. The recipient of the projectiles laughed them off as his hunger only send to grow. He let his finger off the trigger, pulled another magazine from his belt and loaded it in one fluid motion. The onslaught was hardly broken but the small break counted for more than he anticipated.

The other mutant fired his rifle, narrowly missing Josef's head. The other one charged at him from head on.

I did the same. I sped by my friend at full speed like a freight train. Just as the scrap weapon was raised skyward, I fired on him, directly in the center. He staggered backward. The armor had blunted most of the shot.

The other mutant turned his rifle on me. Josef took the opportunity and scored some important hits on him.

I contended with the melee fighter. He waved his club at me but missed. I ducked under his sweep. I shoved the shotgun into his gut and tried to squeeze the trigger, but he brought his knee into my body. I stumbled backward. My chest throbbed from the impact of his knee. I was going to be bruised later. Another sweep of his mighty instrument came just inched from my body. I danced around his swings, seeking an opening, any opening.

Finally, Josef, having defeated the other, turned his attention to me. "Paul, watch your ass!" he shouted. I hardly had enough time to leap away when he unleashed a torrent on the burly green man.

The bullets pelted his helmet and passed into his legs. He was finally on the ropes. I grabbed my shotgun by the barrel, one hand on the end and the other closer to the stock, then smashed it into the open face of his helmet. He fell on his back, face blank and eyes open, though unseeing.

Not a mutant was left in sight, though I'm sure more lurked around the Mall in some capacity. A safe mentality to have whilst exploring downtown D.C. in the Capital Wasteland is that when there are one (or two) mutants, there's more.

However, in that second, relative peace had fallen over the place, at long last. The wind howled above us, skirting the rooftops. Beyond that, only the creaking and groaning of buildings was audible. The dust settled on the road, no longer being disturbed by warring factions of man and mutant fighting over old world junk, only to be picked up by random gusts once again.

The thumping of my pulse was synced with the fatigue induced blurring of my vision, that inferno subsiding at long last. I drew quick, short breaths, easing myself back into a steady rate. Sprinting like a madman, then trying to carry a grown woman on my shoulders at a breakneck pace, and finally turning around to fight off the equivalent of a fantasy creature on Psycho had begun to take its toll on me. I was human, after all.

Mostly. Either way, I wobbled to the side a bit, feeling a powerful urge to simply lie flat on the roadway fill me.

"You crazy bastard!" Josef exclaimed, followed by a slow clap of his hands as he approached, "You can fight them off. And here, I thought you were bullshitting me back at the house! That thing about killing three of them. You're okay, by the way? That hit you took looked pretty rough."

"Yeah," I rubbed my sternum and winced. It was tender, as to be expected. "I'm going to pull through. It's hardly been the only hit I've taken today."

"Don't keel over on me, now. I can't carry both of you," he suggested. He then looked at me, suddenly bewildered. "Uh, speaking of carrying, where's Ana?" He inquired, taking note that I didn't have her hanging on my back.

I sat down on the asphalt, relaxing a bit despite till being in one of the most dangerous places around. Getting off my feet at long last was like a flood of euphoria, and it helped ease the tension that lingered in my mind during our entire excursion. "Dropped her off. She's behind those cars over there. Listen, you might be able to hear her..." I cupped one hand over my ear.

"Paul, you white-haired, mutant ass, come back here!" Ana's voice echoed from down the street.

Josef smirked even though he was not particularly amused. "At least you put her somewhere safer than in the open," he reluctantly observed. He dusted off his jacket, noticing at that a fair bit of dirt had taken up his shoulder, then straighten the sweater underneath. "C'mon, we still need to get her checked out. Even with that spirit of hers, I don't think we should forget about the problem at hand," he extended a hand towards me.

I gripped his wrist tightly. "Agreed."

We pounded out fists together for a job well done, then proceeded to Ana's general location. I looked at the car I thought I had left her behind, only to find she was gone. I began to worry, but then realized I was looking in the wrong place.

"I'm over here!" she called out. Her fingertips were barely visible above the rusted metal beasts that lined the roadway, "And I swear by everything that is good, if you leave me behind again I will end you." she warned as we stood above her. She stretched out her arms, "Well, let's get out to the monument."

"I'll try to remember that you're higher on the totem pole than Jo, then," I responded sarcastically. I went to grab her hands, but Josef was quicker than I was.

"See that you do!" she insisted, then she stuck her nose in the air.

"Mmf, so uh," Josef began while he hoisted her up, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think we should drag you any further. We need to get you looked at."

"Ah, be careful!" she yelped. She pushed her hair out of her face once situated, except for one that tickled her eyebrow. She moved them around, trying to reposition it, but eventually resorted to using her hands once again. "About that, when I was looking through my scope earlier, I saw a quite a few of those Brotherhood guys hanging around the thing, so I'm betting they have the stuff to help us there," she explained as she was hoisted from the ground and onto Josef's back. "It'd make more sense than running all the way back to Three Dog's place."

"Good, that's good. I guess things will work out then," I breathed out, relieved that we didn't need to let her wound fester any longer, "You still doing okay?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be okay," she smiled reassuringly, "It'll just suck for a while, but I'm tough. I can handle it." A wave of pain must have hit her leg just them, as the smile disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Oh, so it's not really as bad as we thought? Huh. I'm starting to think you just might like riding on me," Josef said with a wry grin, trying to keep our situation light.

"Eh, it's not so bad, except for getting shot, that much feels like what you'd expect," she replied.

"Ugh, stop," I threw my head back and made a gagging noise, "You're going to make me sick," I stated as we started off towards the Washington Monument.

Both of them joked and laughed at me until I joined in as well. I've always found it strange that we begin making jokes while still in the middle of such a dangerous area, but something about surviving such dangerous situations always did that to us. Sometimes, others would have the same experience as well, that same joy that exceeds the everyday happiness. At the time, we were just a trio of wanderers laughing among the ruins of old world civilization. No one was there to hear us, just the ghosts of the past, and the empty husks of their one time shelters.

I guess it takes a brush with death to make people truly appreciate living, and out in the wasteland, any adventurer worth half their salt would be doing the tango with it. I certainly knew the feeling well after my experience in Germantown, and I would only grow to appreciate it more later on. Death had a way of finding me, I suppose.

It always has. My God, it always has.

* * *

 **Me: I'll never take an entire month to post a new chapter! Absolutely not! I have plenty of time to work on this.**

 **My classes: Lol. Try it, boi.**

 **Anyway, I'd like to give a quick shout-out to Alexeij, who has reviewed every chapter up to chapter 10 at this point. Really appreciate it. You've caught some errors that I would've never caught, and have made me try harder than I have been. Super great reviews, 10/10.**

 **And for the rest of the readers, I do apologize for not posting in such a long time. Things got a bit out of hand and I had little to no time to work. When I found a break in the wall of assignments, FromSoftware just had to go and release The Ringed City and pull me back into Lothric (and let the feast begin). I promise that the next chapter will finally see the end of the GNR quest and the introduction of an important character. It is also about half done at this point, so here's hoping it's not another month.**

 **It's not all bad, though. In this long span of time I did figure out how the story will progress, nearly up to the final battle. A few details need to be refined, but the meat is there.**

 **If I can only sit down and write the darn thing...**


	20. The Coldest Steel

Chapter Twenty

The Coldest Steel

 _~ September 10, 2277 ~_

Even though we had not returned to Three Dog quite yet, I was still feeling accomplished. The road had been long and arduous, riddled with pitfalls and close calls, but we were well on our way to finding my father once again. Ana, despite having received a significant injury, was showing no signs of being in danger, so that helped ease the burden that I felt. It had been because of me, after all, even though she had paid it no mind.

There were so many ways that the scenario could've played out differently, but I would rather not entertain the thought of them. Internally, I fully blamed myself, but externally I remained as headstrong as I always was. I couldn't afford to start second guessing myself as it would be of no help and only distract me from the task that still stood before us, jut as it's location did.

The monument loomed over us impressively. It was a mere shell of what it once was, but was still a grand display of the Old World's reverence towards their leaders. A path led up the hill to it, littered with trash, just as the rest of the ruins were. A large flag, bearing an insignia with gears and a blade, flew high and proud. To many, it was another reminder that they were but lowly survivors, but to us, it was a bastion. It meant we would not be heading to a place yet another dangerous entrapment.

For the most part.

We trudged up the hill, the sun obscured by the pillar before us, until the wall encircling it became plainly visible yet bathed in a shadow that cooled all beneath it. It was not unlike the one that closed Tenpenny Tower off from the outside world but was slightly different in that it was well-maintained. The cement barrier was sturdy, strong, and lacked any large chips or breakage. Barbed wire lined the top edges and was tilted slightly outwards to further repel intruders; a classic trick employed with minimal effort.

A soldier clad in the same silver power armor as the Brotherhood soldiers commonly wore was standing guard at a large gate. Sandbags were built up in front of him, a heavy wall that he could hide behind should the need arise. In my opinion, though, he appeared to be a giant hidden behind a normal sized man's fortress. His height dwarfed the small build-up and his helmet-encased head was on a constant swivel. Surely, he had noticed us long before I had noticed him.

As we approached, he raised his AER9 laser rifle at us. "Hold on, civilians. This area is off limits," he advised sternly and loudly, the speaker on his helmet modifying his voice to sound robotic, "Turn back and don't come any closer!"

"We have business here, and one wounded!" I shouted from a distance. The sound of rushing air fought for dominance over my voice but ultimately lost out.

"What business?" he shouted back, my words doing nothing to abate his suspicion, "This place is not open for tours!"

"We have the dish needed to fix the radio signal! You know what I'm talking about! Three Dog sent us out here to retrieve it!" I explained. It irked me that we were being held up when we had a job to do, but such is the nature of a military installation. Safety, protocol, and orders reign supreme. "Now are you letting us in or what?"

Silence ensued as the metal man held a small device up to his face. I glanced at my friends, wondering if they knew what was going on.

"He's not the top-dog here. If he was, he wouldn't be out here in the open, poor fuck. Probably radioing to his superior, under strict orders to keep anyone out, I'm sure," Josef muttered, then shuffled a few steps closer to me. "Either way I wish they'd hurry up."

"It's not like they were the most welcoming group last time. They're a bunch of xenophobic tech-maniacs. What else would you expect?" Ana grumbled. Her eyes greedily traced the area. Dust clouds and assorted junk would be the only discernible elements to fill her vision.

After a few more moments passed, the soldier shouted once again. "All right, you three, are you armed?"

"What the hell kind of question is that?" I shot back. A draft whipped across the pavement and curled upwards, sending particles adrift. "Does a fanny pack count?"

"Don't get smart with me waster!" he barked, "You're cleared for entry! Approach slowly, and keep your hands visible!" He ordered.

"Yeah, like I'm going to be able to put a dent in a walking tank," I mumbled. I held my hands out as I started up the incline. The pathway seemed much longer than it really was, but I attribute that to the glaring eyes hidden behind bullet-proof lenses. There is a certain weight that is added to you when someone is watching, whether you acknowledge it or not. At times, it can be crushing, while other times it can be an encouragement. I personally found neither to be overly comfortable as both carried their own expectations that were often unwelcome.

In this scenario, it was crushing. That much is certain. My shoulders instinctively tensed, not fully trusting the helmet hidden peepers doing as they do.

"Nice and easy," he suggested as we grew near him. The Knight rolled his arm forward as if preparing to swipe at us, or perhaps displaying his obscured musculature. "We don't want any trouble, do we?"

"Roberts!" another voice, gruff and resonant, shouted, "Are you harassing our visitors?"

Roberts tensed up. His body went rigid and he moved not an inch. "Sir, no, sir! I was only assessing the situation, sir!" he cried out, a slight quake in his voice.

The man the other voice belonged to marched into view.

Instantly, I recognized that his power armor was a different model than the others. The shape itself was less rigid and smoother, yet bulkier. A large headlamp sat in the middle of the forehead, and two tubes circled towards the filter on the front of his helmet. There was a slight green tint to it, but the paint was mostly worn, save for the large Brotherhood insignia printed on the bulky chest plate. If I were to guess, I would've said he was wearing the T-51 model.

"At ease, soldier," he waved his metal coated hand at the other man, "Come, you three. You're here about that damn radio, aren't you? Three Dog's people, right?" he inquired with a much more welcoming tone than he had with the soldier. Despite his attempts at sounding warm, his voice betrayed him. It was markedly throaty and strained as if holding back a force to rival that of an ocean, but only barely.

"That's right," I raised the dish in front of me, myself paling in comparison to the weathered colossus before me, "And you wouldn't believe the shit we went through to get his thing."

He maintained a few seconds of silence as if entertaining an unspoken thought. "I can imagine," he stated glumly, at last. He made a motion to someone I couldn't see. The gate shook, then inched to the side, creaking all the while until he was able to pass through it. He marched over to us, then extended his hand in an attempt to make peace. "Knight-commander Morgan Banks."

I took his hand firmly, assertive in the only manner I could be against him, but I doubt he could feel my masterful handshake through the metal covering his extremities, "Paul Carver."

"Ah, the Vault 101 kid," he said with noticeable surprise in his voice, "I've heard your name in a few conversations."

"Guilty as charged, but enough about me," I redirected, "My friend here got grazed by a bullet. Green skins. Can anyone around here help out?"

"And get her off my back. It's killin' me." Josef whined in an attempt to earn some sympathy points. He earned none but he did receive a sharp tap on the head from Ana.

"Sure, we can have our medic take a look. Doesn't sound too serious, and besides, she said she wanted something to do. You," he pointed at Josef, "Just go in and to the right. You can't miss her."

"Got it," he responded, then began to amble towards the enclosure. Josef, uncharacteristically, had an not exuded a sense of wariness as he started towards the gate. We were not in his own home, yet he acted the same as he would had we been there.

"Hang on," Morgan held a steel hand up. He dropped his hand back to his side, then cleared his throat. "Leave your weapons here, you'll get them back on the way out. I can assure you of that."

I began to protest but realized that he was not going to make an exception for us.

Morgan nodded towards a crate adjacent to the bag wall, then stepped over to allow us passage to the box.

I puffed and tugged on the strap of my shotgun. The Chihuahua fell in the small cube, lonely as an inanimate object could be. I didn't like the thought of walking in somewhere with no more than my bare fists to defend myself, should the need arise, but I needed to finish the job we were given. My wandering mind quizzed whether or not I would've been permitted to keep the Ass-Beater had it not been lost in the ruins, but it was an irrelevant concern in the end. Surely a bat wrapped in a bit of barbed wire would be of no concern to the giants inhabiting the monument.

I lamented that the bat I had for so many years was gone for good, yet another tie of my childhood home severed. However, sentimentality would win me not one battle in the wasteland.

Once we had reluctantly disarmed, Josef carried Ana to the right, just as he was instructed. He wobbled a bit, to the point I was worried he was about to topple over, but regained his balance and leaned into the turn.

Banks wasted no time in returning to my task. He drew in a long, uncomfortable breath. "Now, do you know anything about putting that thing on there?" He asked, turning to me.

"Uh, not really. I'm not very handy, but it's probably just plug and play, right?" I responded light-heartedly, buying a few seconds to catch an eyeful of the camp. There were only three others inside, one being the medic. The other two were soldiers through and through, that much was obvious by their build and the steely expression they wore when I met their gaze. For whatever reason, East Coast Brotherhood soldiers always exuded a stone cold exterior, but most were warm people when you got to know them. I emphasize _most._ The reclusiveness of their western counterparts must run in their blood as well, to a certain extent.

Knight-commander Banks shrugged. It was a strange shrug. Probably because his shoulder plates weighed more than all of my equipment combined. "More or less. Follow me. We'll ride to the top and I'll help you put it on," he said with a tone that sounded more akin to an order than a request. The strides he took in the power armor were heavy and large, much more so than the ones I took on a regular basis. "I would let you go up there yourself, but that'd be a safety hazard."

"You really think I'd be a threat?" I asked with incredulity. I bounced alongside him, trying to keep up as we neared the door on the pillar itself. Another look around the enclosure allowed me to see their power armor maintenance stations. I had never seen one in person, but they were much less impressive than I had figured in my mind. Yellow bars with a few cables to suspend armor pieces were all it was composed of. The set of power armor that was docked in it was limp and lifeless, yet still intimidating. A large gash was torn out of the chest, a tear in its metal heart.

"Not necessarily. But, I have to keep the rules around here, part of my job, regardless of how I feel about it. They'd be on my ass if they heard I let a civilian wander around unattended," he explained as he attempted to wrench the door open. "Damn thing always sticks," he whispered to himself when the door wouldn't budge.

Finally, it opened. The inside was more like a closet for all of their equipment than an entrance to such a fine historical landmark. Indiscriminate pieces of junk and mixed tools covered the cracked, yellow tiled floor. Dust fell from above in sheets, blotting out the afternoon sun that flowed in from various broken points in the structure. An elevator was aligned perfectly in the middle of the room, more akin to a construction elevator than one a tourist would've used pre-war.

Banks removed his helmet, then set it on a box to the side.

Somehow, I had guessed that he was an older man, but he was probably only in his mid-thirties. His hair was cut short, almost shaved off, but still noticeably dark. A rough beard outlined his powerful jaw, which had a purple bruise to the left of the chin that stood in contrast to his bronzed skin. Bags were set in under his already indifferent eyes that belonged to a world-weary man twice his age. "You might want to press the button," he flicked his fingers about to draw my attention to them, "I would, but..."

"You got it," I said without much emotion. The cables holding the metal box were pulled as soon I pressed the button in. It lit up with a pitifully dimmed glow, one barely noticeable, and the room was filled with the hisses and squeaks of moving parts. As the elevator hit the bottom floor, a sharp ding escaped, accompanied by crackling static from speakers that had gone too long without proper maintenance.

I stepped in, and Knight-commander Banks followed. The addition made to his stature by way of armor filled up most of the extra space, almost to the point of causing discomfort.

"Can this thing hold both of us?" I asked nervously as the elevator seemingly struggled to lift us.

"Us and more. Rode up here with another guy, fully armored, the other day," he stated, his previously sunny demeanor gone, not that it was particularly well-executed anyway. It had vanished in the few seconds the door took to close in front of us and begin to rise. "Okay, kid, it's time that you explain something to me."

I tensed up. Had I done something to annoy him? "Meaning?"

"I'm not stupid, so don't act like I am." He responded, gravelly to me as he was during his short exchange with Roberts, "You see, I'm having trouble figuring something out," he began. He placed his heavy, metallic hand on my shoulder and held it firmly. Banks' grip was tight, just enough to hurt my collarbone, but not enough to do any damage. "I didn't want to make a big deal of it down there, but now that we're alone I think it's time to express myself. Last we heard, you three were en route to the Museum of Technology, on a shit day, of all days. Right on the day we fought off what seemed like half the damn muties in the vicinity," he recounted, still building up his point. He turned his gaze outwards to the long stretch of broken openness of the monument. "That's not a big deal, even though I advised the rest of those hard-headed assholes at GNR to detain you for a day until we were all clear," he huffed, irritation presenting itself, "But I digress. That just means that you might've had to take a few detours with all the combat. One problem with that, though: that was more than a week ago, give or take," he shook me back and forth, "Unless you took one hell of a detour, then something else must've happened to keep you away all this time."

"Yeah. We hit a, uh, speed bump," I replied apprehensively. "Some big, green speed bumps." I shuddered and flashed back to the time in question.

"So you go missing for a week after a speed bump?"

I snapped back to the conversation at hand. "Is that strange?" I asked, puffing out my chest to feign confidence. Truly, it would've been a sight to see: me, a pampered vault kid trying to strong-arm a soldier clad in a personal tank.

"Yes. A speed bump sounds like an understatement, considering we had someone posted here for three days waiting on you. Something happened and you went missing for too long to be doing this job, which, incidentally, you seemed to finish in one day. Maybe even hours. Where did the rest of your time go?"

"Well, we found a new way of getting around. Old motor-home that helped us get everything done fast. Besides, that's a bit intrusive, isn't it?" I wriggled my shoulder, trying to signal my discomfort. A cold sweat found itself a place on my forehead, just below my hairline. Banks' presence was unmistakably heavy.

The Commander removed his hand from my shoulder. "Perhaps, but I think there's something you know that I need to know. See, I don't think you're really thinking about how this looks from my angle. You vanished for a week," he made an exploding motion with his hands, "Poof, gone. Not a trace. I'll admit, though, that's not overtly suspicious. But wait, it gets better. I had a very accurate description of the three I was looking for," Morgan locked his icy gaze on me, piercing my core with spears of dubiety, "And, curiously, you're the only one that doesn't match their description. So, let me lay it down. My ultimatum." he proposed. Commander Banks then craned his neck back and forth, as if to gear himself up for a brawl. "You're going to tell me the truth, because either you're lying about who you are and I need to squash you like a roach beneath my boot, or you're hiding something else important," the Commander growled, fully demonstrating that he was not to be trifled with, "Do I need to simplify it more or have I made myself clear?"

I shifted myself into the corner of the elevator and folded my arms over my chest, "I think you're overthinking this, Commander Banks."

"Judging by the amount of deflection going on, I don't think I am," he retorted, his body not the only thing protected, but his mind as well. "You need to explain what happened. I'm not going to ask again."

I cursed myself for leaving the Chihuahua on the ground. If whatever I was going to say next wasn't to his liking, then I would be in quite the pickle. "All right. I'll fess up," I raised my hands in a surrendering position, "Some crazy shit happened. You might not believe me, but I really don't have any reason to lie to you, nothing to gain. Keep that in mind."

"I'm waiting with bated breath," he interjected condescendingly.

I sighed and mustered up my courage. I didn't want to take the chances of him seeing through a lie, not when I was all alone. I had no idea how he would react to the truth, but I had to try. I swallowed hard, then opened my mouth. "I got taken by the mutants to this place, Germantown, an old police station. There were other people there, trapped like animals. At one point, we were about to escape, but they dragged me off and gassed me with something," I recalled.

Banks shivered like a frosty winter breeze had licked his skin. "They did what? Repeat that, slowly and clearly," he demanded.

The elevator, at long last, reached the top of the monument. Another ding, just like the one it had played at the bottom, chirped. The doors creaked open as I was just about to pull them open myself.

"They gassed me. I think they were trying to make me like them, but it didn't work. Not like they intended, anyway," I explained frantically, practically begging that he would believe me.

"You'd better not be lying to me!" Banks hissed, venomous contempt dripping from his words.

"I swear I'm not!" I said, backing myself against the wall, "I don't have a reason to lie, I already said that!"

Banks stepped out of the elevator in a rush, which jumped up a bit higher when he exited. He ran one hand over his head, "Christ in a can..." He muttered, the disbelief evident in his tone. "They tried to fucking turn you..."

My ears pricked up at the thought of him knowing something. I had no idea of what might have changed in me, but perhaps this Brother of Steel did. "So now it's my turn to ask questions," I asserted, "Do you have any idea what the hell might've happened, other than just appearance changes?"

"I don't have the tiniest clue. What I am pretty sure of is that they mutated you with the FEV, aka the forced evolutionary virus," he rattled off, "That damnable scientific abomination can do just about anything to anyone," Banks said heatedly. He shook his head and regained composure, "And in a gas form, you said?"

"Yeah. It was green. The second I breathed it in I..."

"You were in such indescribable pain that something felt like it changed inside you with the outside?"

I stopped. "How do you know that?" I asked. I eyed him suspiciously, a peculiar thought taking shape inside. Was he?

"Not because I'm some half mutant freak if that's what you're asking," Morgan assured, putting my offshoot idea to rest nigh immediately. His specific choice of the word "freak" had reverberated in my head, potent as the first drop of poison. It was hardly enough to kill but enough to be a grim beacon of more to come. "I have seen what it can do to people, though. Except, every time I've seen it happen, the person simply stopped being themselves. They lost their sense of self, their entire damn mind, really, somewhere in the middle of changing. They ended up like those green animals you see running around the ruins."

I held the dish to my chest. "Huh, so I was lucky..." I said to myself.

"Wouldn't say lucky's the right word," he said, deflated, "You're still as much of a freak as the rest of those things."

I felt a sweltering heat rise in my face at the second mention of freak. "The fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Morgan glowered over his shoulder disdainfully. The glare pouring from the side of his face was apparent. "It means exactly what I said. You're a freak. You're not human," he spat, contempt audible. He pointed at me as if to specify that he was, in fact, speaking about me. "I don't mean to be an ass since you seem like a, uh, decent enough kid," he complimented insincerely, "but it's the truth. You're not natural," he concluded.

"It's not like I had a choice in the matter!" I shot back, infuriated at his words, "What? You think they just asked me politely if I wanted to be like this?" I barked and waved my hands in front of me to emphasize myself. "They just dragged me into the damn place and..."

"Enough," Morgan interrupted. "I've done this dance before. I've seen this shit, the stuff people like you do, and I'm not going to argue about your choice in the matter, okay? You are what you are, and I think you're just a fucking freak. You're a danger to yourself and to others. Nothing you can change about that. End of discussion. Now let's just get this damn dish on and head back down."

I swished a few more responses around in my mouth, all steeped heavily in profanity until I finally settled on a tried and true, "No, not end of discussion. You know something? Fuck. You. What, just because I'm not as 'pure' as you are, that somehow makes me dangerous? You don't even know me, so how can you make that decision?" I retaliated but found no more points to make. "Who shat in your breakfast?"

The Commander's brow furrowed. He glared at me, as if I had been an age-old enemy that had paid him a visit at last, then shook his head in a dismissive fashion. "Time'll prove me right, Mr. Carver. A mutant is a mutant, no matter what. All they can do is kill and eat. It all comes full circle one day. Might take years, might be weeks, but it all comes back around."

"I'm no animal. Not like them," I hissed defiantly.

Morgan Banks made no response and made no attempt to formulate one. The words we had exchanged muddled the air around us, thickening it with undue tension. Truly, our eyes conveyed all that we needed to know of each other, and neither cared to grow more familiar.

"Give me the dish," Banks commanded.

I forcibly placed it in his hands. "All yours," I retorted dryly, then turned on my heel and re-entered the elevator. I jabbed the button with my thumb and let the doors obscure him from my view. I didn't care if he wanted to keep an eye on me. I had heard enough. The elevator dropped with a pace to send my white hair flapping. A strand flopped in front of my eye, reminding me of my new identity, then presently leaped away again. I huffed as his words continued to echo in my mind.

I would have never admitted it then, but perhaps Banks had a nugget of truth hidden in his bitter offense. Something was different. It had been so as soon as I had been mutated. There was a piece of me that had derived some sickened pleasure from watching the mutants fall before me. It screamed in delight as I colored the ground red with their crimson fluids and desperately wanted more. I had never felt it before, and that was what had frightened me the most.

Was Banks right? Was I a freak, broken into fragments of my former self?

No, not quite yet. Not for a while longer.

* * *

I took a deep breath and stepped out from the elevator. The ding had forgotten to play as it hit the ground, but it did nothing to lessen my preference of being on the ground. I stomped out of the monument and into the courtyard that was still occupied by soldiers lounging about.

Josef was chatting with the other two I had seen upon our entrance and seemed to be getting along swimmingly. Their faces were still stone cold, but the rest of their body language was not as tense as before. One muttered something as I made eye contact with him, and Josef's head swiveled around.

"Oi! Paul, get over here, they're telling some crazy shit! You'd love it!" Josef shouted far too loudly. I wasn't quite so far away to merit such volume.

"It's not coming directly from me," the one who had alerted Josef to my presence said, "I'm just spreading the rumor."

"Yeah, but you actually seem to believe it, Pat," the other soldier observed.

"Well, all rumors gotta start from somewhere, right?"

"Yeah. Like some of 'em start when people talk out of their ass. Most of these wastelanders are full of brahmin shit and you know it."

"You're too kind." Josef quipped and gave a quick, dignified bow.

"So what's this rumor about?" I inquired, my curiosity igniting itself. Wasteland rumors are typically more like legends than simple lunchroom storytelling. Take Moira, for example, one of many "legends" I would meet in the Capital Wasteland.

"It's insanity spat from the mouths of drugged raiders is what it is," the unnamed Brother jeered.

"Hey, I'm telling the story here," Pat recited and gave his fellow soldier a push, "Keep your yap shut for a while."

The other raised his hands in surrender then took three steps back.

Pat nodded in triumph, sure that he would no longer be interrupted so rudely. "All right, so have you guys heard about some crazy killer out there?"

"Yeah. Lots of them. I think they're called raiders," I said.

Pat shook his head. "No, this guy, or girl, for all I know, is a hell of a lot worse than that. Raiders can't even touch this guy, they just get their asses handed to them faster than they can ever think!"

"Yeah. Completely strange. It's almost like us Brotherhood Initiates don't deal with that every damn day..." droned the other soldier.

Pat didn't miss a beat. "Funny thing is, though, that he always leaves one alive. Well, usually. It's like he wants to send a message back to their friends."

I mulled the thought over in my head. "Doesn't sound too special to me. Actually, that sounds like a good way to deal with them. Put some fear into them and they just might leave people alone."

"I wish," Pat agreed. "Oh, but here's the wild part. Sometimes, it's like nothing even touched them! No bruises, scratches or bullet holes anywhere. It's like they just shut down or something. Eyes glazed over, body unharmed, no more than usual self-inflicted injuries, but still very, very dead," Pat explained as if he were telling us scary campfire stories.

"Could he be a strangler?" I pondered.

"Nah," Josef spoke, "There'd be marks on the neck. Sign of a struggle if he choked them in any way, but that is interesting."

"Either way, the story has started to spread a bit. Even some of the settlers here and there have been talking about it, talking about some lone man just offing raiders like nobodies' business. Him against the world, no one at his back, at least, no one that we know of."

"Get ready, this is the best part," Josef whispered and nudged me to pay attention.

"They've started to come up with names for this lone killer. Some people call him the Raider of Raiders, others call him fake. A made up story by people stoned out of their minds,"

"I'm in that group," the other soldier, who had been strolling away from the conversation said upon passing us by once again.

Pat's brow furrowed irritably. "And others have taken to calling him the Wasteland Reaper, and say he's come to kill us all. Death dressed as a man, seeking his next quarry." Pat concluded dramatically.

A chill ran up my spine at the thought of someone like that. I don't like to admit it, but Pat's story must've taken root in me. "Yeah," I began, "but if he's after raiders he can't be all that bad. Maybe he's doing some good."

"Maybe. But how long until he starts after the rest of us?" Pat questioned of the wind which blew over the walls and into the enclosure. It rustled the hair on my head and caused a few loose pieces of paper sitting on a nearby desk to flutter away. Pat grunted and chased the escaping parchments until they found themselves attached to the cement barrier impeding their freedom.

"See?" Josef interrupted, "Told you it was some crazy shit, Paul! Didn't I?" He tugged on the bandolier running across his chest, struck by some sudden discomfort. "People say some crazy things."

I chuckled, "Yeah, a bit. But there's probably some truth to it, I'm sure. Most rumors have a little bit of grounding," I clarified.

"Eh, it's unlikely. Most people around here know not to tangle with raiders unless they have to, not that they're a particular threat by themselves. I mean, what kind of batshit insane person goes picking fights with groups of them for fun?"

My left eyebrow raised and a smirk found itself on my face.

"Oh, shut up!" Josef commanded with a grin to join mine then planted his fist on my shoulder.

I rubbed the point of impact and turned around to look back to the monument. The elevator had begun to ascend once again, signifying that Banks had completed the task I had unceremoniously thrust on him. Undoubtedly, he was going to descend and offer me some more choice words as his attitude would dictate.

"So, uh, you get the thing fixed yet?" Josef inquired, interrupting the few solitary seconds of silence.

I shook my head. "I didn't. That Banks guy is going to put it on for us," I grumbled with extra care to exhibit my distaste towards the man. I folded my arms over my chest and glanced back up at the monument. "I'm not sure how I would put it on, so I just let him do the hard work."

"Oh, so the formally trained soldier with power armor gets to hang a satellite dish on a monument while an aristocrat turned wanderer, a vault dweller and a mercenary," Josef rubbed his fist on his chest, stifling a cough, "dive into the ruins and have to struggle for survival?"

"Why, does that sound unfair?"

"No, of course not. I couldn't think of a better fucking way to use our skill sets. Although, he's probably running himself ragged up there trying to figure it out."

"Poor fellow. All he signed up for was strict military work involving the firing of guns and the slaughtering of mutant horrors," I pitied insincerely.

"Wonder which one he's better at. Maybe the repair part?"

Just as Josef had finished his sentence, the elevator began to drop from its high perch.

I prepared myself for the inevitable, or what I believed to be, as the elevator continued to descend rapidly. It moved a bit too rapidly at times but regained the proper speed when it neared the ground floor. Out stepped the gruff man with the tired eyes once again, hardly reinvigorated by the fantastic view from high above, the very one I kicked myself for not taking in when I had the chance.

He traced along the compound until he saw Josef and I idling in a spot he must not have liked for us to be.

"Carver! Mercenary!" Banks bellowed with enough volume to make the other soldiers shudder, "It's time you two get your friend and head out."

"That soon?" Josef inquired with genuine surprise, "We can't just stay the night?"

Morgan looked around the enclosure as if pondering the proposal for but a moment. "No, I'm sorry. I can't let you three stay here overnight, it's just not safe. If you think it's dangerous during the day, you haven't been here at night. All the fucking freaks come out and knock on our door until we make them stop."

I glared with foul eyes at Banks, who returned an indifferent stare back, unimpressed, to say the least.

"You'd either be up all night listening to us kicking their asses or taking pot shots at them to stave off the boredom. It's best if you go."

Josef stood his ground and sized up the situation with a hard look at Banks. His eyes narrowed and his mouth swished from side to side, a signal of his processing mind. He tensed up for a moment, but then relaxed immediately after as if something important had crossed his mind. "Eh, I guess it can't be helped," he spoke just before I was about to break the silence, "We need to get back to Three Dog anyway, don't we, Paul?"

I straighten up and stood solid as an oak. "Yes. Yes, we do. It's been a...pleasure, Knight-Commander Banks," I lied, then extended my hand as a gesture of formality.

He closed his massive grip over mine and locked firmly on it. "Likewise," he said, that same oceanic force threatening to break free once again. He wouldn't look away for even a moment. I knew he was studying me, committing my face to memory for one reason or another.

Banks was wise to remember my face, as I had already memorized his.

"So, which one of us gets to go in first?" Josef huffed as we approached the large double doors leading inside the Galaxy News Radio building, "I'm itching to give the con-man a piece of my mind."

* * *

Moonlight glowed blue and pale above us, a faint glint on the less worn parts of the power armored men and women standing sentry at the concrete fortress. Unsurprisingly, the plaza around it was still littered with mutant corpses, both new and old. Most were repelled long before they were within range of the barricades, though a minority had managed to lessen the gap between them and their feast before falling to a hail of gunfire and beams of light. It smelled as you would imagine: a musty mix of gunpowder, burned, decaying corpses and that generally rotten smell that accompanied super mutants. I hate to say it, but after Germantown, it was hardly as nose burning as it once was.

"I'm going in first, and I want to give a little more than that," I demanded menacingly, though meaning no malice to my friend. I wriggled my fingers, just in case I was able to swing just once at the DJ, despite my confidence that he would make no threatening movements.

"Just leave some for me, okay, bud?" Josef suggested, then gave me a supportive pat on my shoulder.

"Not making any promises," I growled as I slammed the entry door behind me. I inhaled through my nose, my voice welling in my chest, ready to explode, "Three Dog!"

Every soldier inside the building leaped on their feet in an instant. My sudden outburst had caught them off guard, no doubt.

"101?" one called out as I marched past him, "You're still kicking?"

"And screaming," another grumbled as I nearly ripped the door to the studio from its hinges. In one smooth gesture, I locked it behind me. I didn't want anyone interrupting me.

Each drop of my foot was a toll of the bell for the DJ. Each one fueled my fury as I grew nearer to the man that had endangered me and my friends as well.

"...And that'll be all for the news, children!" he hooted, full of enthusiasm, "Now, up next, we have Ray Smith, Right Behind You Baby! Stay tuned, because now that all my loyal listeners can hear my voice once again, we have a bit of news coming up that I think you might want to listen to!" Three Dog let out a long howl like a hound, then started the song.

I politely waited for his to start the holo-tape, both for my sake and for the sake of his listeners. However, the first melodic notes that played were a long-awaited signal. "Surprise, motherfucker," I hissed as I dragged him from his chair and onto the floor.

Three Dog rolled across the floor and braced himself against the wall, finally catching a glimpse of his assaulter, "H-holy shit! It's you! You're alive?" he yelped while the color drained from his face.

I advanced, my teeth gritted and my fists clenched, "What the hell is your problem? Huh?!" I shouted, "You send us in that shit-hole without a damn thing to go on? Are you fucking insane? Was there nothing but a putrid, steaming pile of trash in that tiny head of yours?" I bellowed, looming over him. I glared at him with every bit of malice I had in me, "Did you think I was going to die out there?"

"No, no!" he shouted as he pulled himself up the wall, "I-I didn't think-"

"You're damn straight you didn't think!" I cut him off, "You just sent us right into that death trap, and you knew exactly what was going on down there!" I clenched my fist, holding back every screaming voice in my head to smash his head like a grape, "First, you fucking blackmailed me. You knew something important to me, something so simple that you could've just told me in less than a minute! Instead, you sent me on some damn errand, as if it really needed to be done!"

"J-just hold on! I wasn't trying to-"

"Then you make the damn job out to be a cakewalk when you knew pretty fucking well that it wasn't!" I grabbed him by the collar and hoisted him into the air, then slammed his back into the wall.

"I thought it would be-!" he choked out. His fingers grasped at my hand, but he was smart enough to not swing at me.

"And, come to find out, you chose the worst day you could've possibly chosen, even after someone had told you before we left!" I pulled him within centimeters of my face, "And you didn't even try to stop us," I spat through gritted teeth, "You let us walk right out there without a care in the world. But, what could I expect? You're all safe and sound in your fortress surrounded by your Knights," I dropped him on the ground. I stepped away from him for a moment, making sure to stay in the dimmed light so he could see me.

"I-I thought that you would all be safe! I didn't dream of something-!"

"Shut. The fuck. Up!" I roared, "I don't want any of your excuses! I don't want any of your half-assed reasons and thoughts! I just want you to shut the hell up and listen!" I stretched my arms out to the side. "Do you realize what happened out there?! I didn't just fall, as I'm sure you've heard, not that you care. I got dragged to the worst place I could've imagined! I got put in a jail by those bastards, then they tried to turn me into one of them! And you'd better thank everyone and everything that I didn't get turned any more than I already am, or I wouldn't be holding myself back like I am now!" I screamed.

My rant had drawn the attention of the Brotherhood soldiers below me and they had begun to pound their fists on the door, "Carver! That's enough!" Knight Sergeant Wilks, the main man in charge around GNR, commanded from behind the door.

I paid him no mind. "You took advantage of me. You knew how much it meant to me, and you knew that I had no idea how dangerous it was there, yet you made no effort to mention it in the slightest. And now, you're going to tell me where my dad went. No more shit, no more jobs, and no more secrets, got it? Or you're going to find out what it's like to have my foot so far up your ass you can taste the mutant I stepped in earlier!"

The disheveled DJ pondered that image for a moment and realized that I was not exaggerating in the slightest. "Okay, okay! You deserve it!"

"More than that!" I corrected. I crossed my arms across my chest and waited, scowl firmly locked in place.

"Your dad, he came through here a few days before you showed up! He said he wasn't sure what was what here in the Capital since it had been so long. He wanted to know about some current stuff, then rambled on about some scientific jargon that went way over my head, then asked how the road to Rivet City was!"

"Get to the point!" I uncrossed my arms and advanced once again.

"Alright! Just calm down, please!" he pleaded, "He said that he needed to go see some Doctor, Madison Li, in Rivet City! Said that he needed to get the team back together and get to work, and then he just up and left! I offered him to stay the night since he looked exhausted, but he said he had to go, that his friends were eager to get back on the road and he didn't want to keep them waiting."

"What friends?!" I demanded to know.

"I don't have a clue! I didn't see them, he just said that they were waiting on him and he needed to get going! I figured he had hired some bodyguards or something and was paying them by the day. None of the boys and girls outside saw them either."

I placed my hands on my face and groaned. My father had just been a few days ahead of me, and because of Three Dog, I had been set back so far. Maybe I could've caught up to him, as doubtful as it was, but being sent on a mission that took more than a week out of my life was certainly not going to increase the chance.

Now I had more questions and even fewer answers. Who on earth was Madison Li, and why was my dad trying to find her? Even more importantly, who was traveling with my dad? Some old friends, perhaps, or just a few bodyguards as Three Dog had thought?

I had come into GNR only wanting to know where my father had gone, and before I left I had begun to question what exactly he was doing. Did he have some project he was working on that I had never been told about?

"Is-is that all?" Three Dog sheepishly asked after I had drawn out a long, uncomfortable silence.

I groaned, disgusted. His words threatened to send me into another rage. "No, that's not all. Because of you, I almost died. Because of you, I'm a mutant, and because of you, one of my friends was hurt as well, but I still fixed your damn radio station."

His ears pricked up at the mention of his beloved radio station being in full working order once again.

However, I was hardly satisfied with a paltry snippet of information. Too many events had taken place in the quest to repair GNR, one of those events being indebted to Moira Brown. I still owed her two hundred sixty-three caps, and I was looking for any I could find. I stroked my chin, weighing my proposal mentally, yet feeling inclined to make demands. "Y'know, Three Dog," I began.

The DJ froze at half his full height.

"I went above and beyond what you asked. I should've just said, 'fuck it,' and went on my merry way, but I didn't."

"Yeah, you got me there," he agreed as skeptically as he was able.

"And now, since I decided to bust my ass for you, I think you owe me more than just information..." I heavily suggested. I rubbed my fingers together to convey my message.

There was no way I was going to come out of this without something tangible for my companions.

"Whoa there, 101, I don't remember that being part of..."

I clenched my fists and glared hatefully at him.

The man stopped his protest. "Yeah, sure, sure! Anything you want!" was his response. It was the most thoughtful decision he had made yet.

"Ah, I'm glad you're so agreeable. So, my friends and I had to make a pretty sizable purchase, and now we're in debt to someone," I picked him up from the ground and dusted him off with as much force as I could. "If you could float some caps my way, I think I could call us close to even..."

A frown drew across his face, "You might be a little disappointed, kid," he said remorsefully.

"Why is that, Three Dog?" I inquired threateningly.

"All I've got on hand is about forty. Now, I know that's not a lot, but it's all I have right now. Running this place ain't cheap, especially when the Brotherhood guys and gals are always asking for a little," he explained with trepidation.

I stared him down, face as cold as ice, just to make sure he wasn't trying to con me again.

"Well, does that sound like a deal?"

I relaxed. "It'll have to do. Hand them over and I'll be on my way."

Three Dog stepped lightly over to a desk in the corner, obscured by the shadow cast in the corner of the room. He dug around in his shirt pocket for a moment, then pulled a small, rusty key from it and inserted it into the lock. He pulled on the drawer and fished around through its contents until he wrapped his hand around a small pouch. It jingled as he brought it into view and held it out towards me.

"Here, forty caps, as promised."

I shoved the pouch into the front pocket of my jacket but didn't offer another word. I simply turned, somewhat pleased with my reward and headed for the door, closing my long-running deal with the host of Galaxy News Radio.

"Hey, 101," Three Dog called out just as I put my hand on the doorknob.

"What?"

The man drew a few nervous breaths, the jolly song playing in the background filling the silence between us. "I, uh, I'm sorry, kid. For what happened. I really didn't think it would go down like that. I know it was wrong, but I had to get it working again, for all the children of the wastes, and for the Brotherhood as well." he excused. I could hear him sit back down at his station, as the song was nearing its end. He held another holo-tape betwixt his fingers, the next piece of musical history to broadcast. "And it may not mean much coming from me, considering all the bullshit I put you through, but I really do hope you find your dad."

Fury said to lash out again, but it found itself rejected by exhaustion. I held my tongue and allowed the clunk of the closing door and the final lyrics punctuate my furious exchange.

 _Yeah, I'm right behind you baby_

 _You're never gonna get away from me_

 _I'm right behind you baby_

 _You're never gonna get away from me._

* * *

 ** _What? It's been a month and some change? Well, that...happened. Again._**

 ** _My apologies.  
_**

 ** _I spent most of the time rewriting this empty mess of a chapter and finishing some final projects and such, but now that I have a few weeks before I start classes again I hope to...nope. Every time I say something it takes even longer, so let's just say that it will happen at a non-specific point in time and call it a day.  
_**

 ** _Once again, a shout-out for Alexeij, who constantly confounds me with an impressive vocabulary (that I hope to match one day) and the insightful reviews for every single chapter._**

 ** _I may not have mentioned it, but reviews are welcome, my friends, even if you don't even like the story. I will appreciate your input regardless._**


	21. End of the Road

Chapter Twenty-One

End of the Road

 _~ September 11, 2277 ~_

A fitful sleep cycle was all that awaited me in the motor home, a sensation I hate to admit I had become accustomed to. The mustiness of the RV was not of much aid to my ailing mind either, but it only became particularly potent when grouped with the new questions thrust onto my plate and the thunderous snoring Ana had graced Josef and me with.

It didn't seem right to awaken her due to her sound rest but also in part to the small dose of Med-X the Brotherhood medic had given her the any before to alleviate the pain she experienced. It was far from the usual amount given to an injured soldier, mostly because she was not in critical danger, but it did help tremendously in returning to the RV and putting her quickly into a deep sleep.

In the end, Josef reclined in the driver seat and I tilted my head back in the passenger seat. It was horribly uncomfortable, and I began to long for the sweet embrace of a cold, wooden floor, yet the stained carpet ultimately repelled me from making such a choice. I had avoided any diseases (barring a certain evolutionary virus) thus far, and I was not eager to test my immune system. For all I knew, the wasteland had not revealed it's truest of sicknesses to me but was intent on doing so later.

I assumed my father had plenty of ways to fix something if I were to run into something nasty like I had in Germantown, but I had no idea how much longer I had to trek until our inevitable reunion. A solitary hope for clarity in my confused mutation was held close to me, as the only person that I knew of that could hold some insight was my father. It was a part of me that never changed: that hope that my parent had all the answers.

But peculiarities had become the norm for my new life as a half super mutant. One such being that throughout the night, I felt a peculiar itch plaguing my scalp, one that I thoughtlessly indulged in scratching.

In a way, I wish I hadn't.

"Jesus, man..." Josef exclaimed groggily, stirring me to waking.

I yawned and lifted my head, neck stiff and aching. My breath tasted worse than I had anticipated, but that's what I get for eating leftover mole-rat. My eyes were hardly crusted and had a slight burning feeling that presented itself when I shut them again for a moment. I took my feet down from the dash and leaned forward. "What's it?" I slurred.

"You...uh...might wanna check the mirror," he responded, a slight smirk, masking the worry beneath, on his face. "It might be better than anything I can say."

I fumbled around, trying to gather myself. I tugged at a few compartments in the motor home, until he pointed to a mirror hanging just above me. A glance had revealed nothing out of the ordinary at first.

Same eyes.

Same nose.

Same ears.

Same _devilishly handsome_ vault dweller.

Same bald head.

It took a few moments for me to piece together exactly what I was looking at but like a resounding click of a key unlocking a door, the mental puzzle completed itself. My eyes shot open, and I stood to my full height, forgetting my new stature and knocking directly into the ceiling above.

"What in the hell?" I whispered to myself, rubbing a hand calloused by the constant wear and tear they faced over my now smooth, sore head. I spun around and gawked at Josef, who was equally entertained and flabbergasted. I pointed to the fleshy top of my cranium, "Did you do this to me?" I asked, genuinely worried but not angry.

"Why would I shave your head?" he asked rhetorically. Josef shook his head, "No, I'm just as confused as you are, but I do think I know where it went," he concluded, giving me false hope.

"Where?" I quizzed gleefully, fully expecting a satisfactory answer.

He nodded to the floor.

My heart sank.

There, on the floor, were gray locks of hair that once sat proudly atop my head. At some point during the night, they must have taken their unceremonious leave of my scalp and made their new home on the filthy carpet of the motor home. I simply stared, trying to rationalize why on earth my hair may have fallen out, but I had no knowledge of what the FEV had done to me beyond looking different.

"Uh...it's a good look?" Josef half-heartedly encouraged. His voice betrayed his attempt at sincerity, but it did nothing to hide the good intentions at his core. "I mean, if it worries you I have a hat you can wear, but I'm being honest, it's not all that bad."

"Gee, if I would've known I was going bald this early I wouldn't have spent any caps on hair-gel and would've spent them on wax instead," I groaned as I slumped back into my seat.

Behind us, Ana had begun to stir. My cosmetic disaster had been noisy enough to rouse our sleeping friend, but unintentionally.

"Something wrong?" she asked between yawns. She squinted her eyes at us, the morning sun gleaming directly at her, then rubbed them with a balled fist.

"It's a real horror," I said in melancholy response.

"What? What's wrong?" she asked again with worry and stood to her feet and approached from behind in a rush. Her feet thumped on the floor, and I knew it was time to face the music.

I spun around and faced her. "I've gone bald."

Worry drained from her face and was replaced with relief. "That's it?" she breathed out, then relaxed visibly. "You had me scared for a second! I thought you had..." she began, but then retracted, "...Never mind. You look good!" she assured.

However, it did little to help my confidence. "Maybe I do, but I don't think I'm someone that can pull off this look. I've known people that do, and I don't count myself among them."

"Way to get your priorities straight, my friend," Josef chastised teasingly, "It's almost as if you don't have a missing father to find."

I slid down as far as I was able to in the small chair. "Yeah, yeah. I know. I just figured all these weird mutant things were done. You know, there has been nothing but weird stuff going on ever since I left home."

"I think you just lived a weird life before, and now you're experiencing what it's really like in the world," Ana argued, her eyes burning a hole in the back of my noggin, "Vaults aren't known to be part of normal people's lives, if you haven't noticed."

I sighed and pulled myself back up into proper sitting position. "Fair enough, and quit staring at me."

"Sorry, it's just..." she paused, pondering a moment, "I wonder if this is like other super mutants?" she puzzled, "All of the ones I've ever seen are completely bald, so maybe this is linked to it somehow."

"Yeah, you might be onto something," Josef added, "Huh. Y'know, if you're going to be even more like them, then I hope you don't go all crazy ogre-man on us."

I snorted loudly. "Smells like human. I like human." I said in a deep, gargling voice to mimic my half-brethren.

Ana didn't laugh, but Josef let out a hardy guffaw.

"Look, I'd rather put a bullet in my head than end up like them," I pointed my finger to my temple, "Bang. I can't imagine what it'd be like to live that way and I don't think I want to find out."

"Please, don't joke about that kind of stuff," Ana asked nervously, a line of ice running up her spine to make her shiver, "I don't want to think about that."

"Alright, alright. I'm just saying that it'd suck to just be some mindless beast that only eats and kills," I concluded, then set my feet back up on the dash again, "Besides, if my hair falling out is the worst I get from this, then to that I say, 'I needed a hair cut anyway!'"

"There we go!" Josef congratulated with a twist of the key in the ignition. The RV roared to life after a few weak turns, and we were ready to get on the road to Rivet City. Josef stomped the gas and sent the motorized beast crawling forward, which was the best it could do upon starting out. It would get up to speed eventually, as far as I could tell, which in reality was rather difficult since the speedometer didn't work in the slightest. By the measuring on my Pip-Boy, it would be around three to four hours of driving before we reached the city.

As usual, my mercenary friend had been there once in the past, but deeply regretted not spending more than a few hours. He described it as a "big-ass boat" that had two or three old planes sitting on the flight deck. People from all over came and went to the city, and its booming market certainly showed it. For this reason, he and his friends had taken to the dusty roads of the Capital Wasteland and made the long walk to Rivet City.

As he recalled, there were many people with many more caps just waiting on some mercenaries to blow in from the wasteland. He and his former co-workers walked away one-hundred caps richer than they had been upon their arrival. That was fantastic news in our case, as we needed quite a bit more money to pay off Moira.

Although, If only I would've known what kind of job I would take to gain the necessary funds, I might not have been as enthused.

* * *

The bumpy road was lined with crevasses that made out ride the very opposite of smooth, but it was far better than walking in my humble opinion. It was long stretches of highway, and back roads that awaited us, and none of them looked particular like a good place to linger.

"Awooooo!" howled a certain DJ from the radio speaker in the RV, "Guess who, wastelanders? It's me, Three Dog, coming at you loud and proud once again!" he hooted, "All thanks to that kid from the vault! No, I'm not talking about James, no, no, no! Y'see, old Three Dog here has been graced by not one, but, get this, _two_ , 101s."

Josef wheezed. "Yeah, because you really graced him yesterday."

"And the best part is yet to come! This second vault dweller, Paul is his name, came to GNR looking for dad and, wouldn't you know it, he and his friends fixed my radio station!" the DJ spoke proudly.

"What, we don't get any recognition? Just 'Paul's friends?'" Ana asked irritably over the charismatic voice radiating from the porous speakers in the vehicle, "We helped, too."

"So this next song is a special thanks going out to Paul and his friends, an olive branch of sorts, in return for giving me my voice back! We have Ronnie Hazlehurst, with A Hat, A Cane, but don't touch that dial, not that you have anyone else to listen to. Well, besides that _other_ radio station hee, hee!" Three Dog reminded, obviously referring to the Enclave radio station that seemed to be available to everyone in the Capital Wasteland.

A few seconds of radio silence passed until the first crackling of static burst from the speakers and gave sound to an echoed voice of days long past.

I folded my hands on top of my head and listened to the tunes for a few moments, pondering the sudden turn in Three Dog's attitude. I thought that he would count me among his enemies, but he had decided to make amends in the only way he knew how: with a musical dedication. Perhaps, I thought, that I may have reacted incorrectly when I returned to him. I assumed the worst of him without even asking for his reasons, in fact, I actively rejected them. I didn't want to entertain the notion that he had his own motivation, as it was much easier to assume he was simply a cold, uncaring individual. Could that have made me the one in the wrong, something so simple as that? It was certainly an option, yet I had no qualms about hurling insults at him the previous night. I was far from regretful.

Regardless, I had reacted in the way that I did and I would have had no reason to do so had he not sent me into a trap. If you asked me then, I would have responded confidently that he deserved every word he received if not more.

"Pretty soothing," Josef remarked, breaking my quiet pondering, "Though I wouldn't say it fits our ragtag team here."

Josef rambled for quite a while about his musical choices, most of which I attempted to tune out due to the drowsiness remaining from my sudden awakening a while before. However, for whatever reason, I lingered on our entire quest to GNR and beyond. For the entire time, I had been focused solely on what I wanted to do and had never asked either of my companions how they felt about it all. Neither Ana nor Josef had made any mention of how they felt, but I had not made an effort to appear as if I cared either.

I took my feet down from the dash and stood up from my seat. I opened the small refrigerator and selected one of the last few bottles of ice cold Nuka-Cola, " _Need to restock_ ," I thought to myself as I took the small bottle cap off the top. A satisfying hiss escaped, carbonation having built up pressure within the small glass bottle. Truly, not one model power armor model, not one high-tech laser rifle, and no advances in science can compare to the impossibility of finding a Nuka-Cola that has gone flat. This, among other oddities of the wasteland, has always baffled me.

After a few quick gulps, the Geiger counter on my Pip-Boy clicked for a few moments, something I had become keenly aware of since my first day on the surface. It seemed like everything had some residual radiation in it, though some locations had more focused pockets of background radiation. It was rarely enough to to be lethal, but it was hardly the kind of place a human being should stay in.

Although, curiously enough, as I watched my Geiger counter to see where the needle would stop, I saw something rather strange. As usual, the needle moved up a small, nearly insignificant notch, then presently dropped back to zero.

I shrugged it off and sat leaned against the wall while the unevenness of the road and Josef's general lack of driving skill making it difficult. "So, uh, can I ask you two something?"

Ana's eyes glanced up from the issue of Grognak the Barbarian she was reading, the very same comic I had taken with me from vault 101. "Mm?" she hummed quizzically.

"Shit!" Josef exclaimed upon running down a small rad roach that had chosen to cross the road at the wrong time, "Yeah, yeah. Lay it on me."

My brow furrowed as I turned the bottle up again. "I've been wondering how you two are feeling about this whole thing. I've just been thinking that I haven't really asked either of your opinions most of the time." I sloshed the dark drink around, choosing my next words. "It's like I just say where we're going, and don't even try to ask if that's alright," I explained bashfully, "And it seems like that's been part of the trouble we've had. If I had slowed down, thought things though for a while I might not have sprung you from your comfy home," I said, pointing the tip of the bottle to Ana, whose eyes were again scanning the heroic pages, "We might not have run into so many of the super mutants in the Mall, we wouldn't owe Moira, and, hell, we might not have been in half the shit we've been in. You have your own lives, too."

A large gash in the road knocked me off balance and caused a few drops of my beverage to escape.

Ana closed the comic book, set it to the side and focused her attention on me. "True, true. We have gotten in some shit recently, although I'd say you've gotten the worst of it," she agreed thoughtfully, "But did you ever think that we could've backed out at any time if we wanted to?"

"Well, did you ever want to?" I asked, somewhat dreading an unsatisfactory answer.

Ana sighed, "To be honest, yes. I almost turned back around and went home when you said you wanted to go to the Mall. I thought you were insane, but something in me said to just keep after you. Besides, I guess I couldn't go back there again, anyway."

"Why's that?" I pushed while draining the last few drops from the bottle.

She frowned. "I felt out of place there. Sure, it was pretty much the only home I knew, but ever since my gram got eaten alive by a pack of dogs, I just..." she paused and shook her head, not wanting to relive any painful memories.

"Damn, that's..." I began but stopped to prevent from pushing her to remember anymore, "I'm sorry."

Ana paid it no mind. "I had this feeling. It was like I just needed to go, to get out of there and never look back. See, the thing is," she propped up on her elbows and turned out her palms, "I'm not like them. Most everyone there is above the age of sixty, the best years of their life behind them. They're happy with the life they've lived, the mark they've made, but the problem is that I haven't lived one yet."

"What do you mean by that?"

She sat up and leaned her head against the wall. "I don't know what it was like in the vault since you probably knew the place like the back of your hand since you were seven. Day in, day out, routine. Nothing changes and you like it that way, right?"

I stumbled back over to my seat next to Josef who had been silent thus far. I eyed him suspiciously. "Right."

"But out here, there's no end to what's going on. Every day is different and has new surprises, good and bad. Sitting up in that tower, listening to Dashwood's stories isn't a way to make a mark on the world. It's a way to just exist and nothing more."

I looked out the window at the stretch of road before us. Josef swerved around a rusted out car where a few scavengers picked apart its contents.

"Thing is, I just don't know what I want to do," she breathed out disdainfully, "So, all that to say, I just went with you two instead of trying to go it alone. I don't know what I want to do to make a mark, so I'll just wander until I figure it out," she surmised, "Make sense?"

"I guess. I don't know, by what I've seen out here, it doesn't seem like the kind of place you'd want to wander in," I shrugged.

She laughed emotionlessly, "Maybe it doesn't make sense. I might just be barking up the wrong tree, but I think withering away in that tower would be worse. At least I have a chance at something out here."

"Hm," I agreed, then turned to my driver friend, "So, what about you, Jo? You've been with me since the start, did you ever think of backing out?"

"Not really," he responded shortly.

I sat for a few moments, watching his face expression change uncomfortably. He shot a look at me but distinctly avoided direct eye contact. He wriggled his shoulders but did nothing to shake my gaze.

"There a problem, man?" he asked confusedly. He turned the wheel sharply to the left in avoidance of a broken down bus and sent us off the road.

I gripped the bottom of the chair to steady myself as Josef tried to drive back up on the street. "Not particularly. I just figured you'd explain a bit about why you're tagging along with me."

He craned his neck to get a better vantage point at the figures down the street, "I just figured I'd balance out the old karma by helping someone out for no reward. I've always taken money for a job, usually up front. Then you had to go and be my friend and make me feel guilty about even giving the possibility of thinking about leaving."

"Is it really that simple?"

"As much as I can make...shit," he cursed, eyes widening as the figures grew closer. He turned his head about frantically as if looking for something in particular, perhaps a side road to take. After a moment of searching, his eyes glued themselves to the road once again and narrowed intensely.

"Shit?"

Josef grimaced. His fists tightened around the wheel and his face grew hard as stone. "Paul, Ana, listen very closely. Those guys coming up, don't pay them any attention. Don't make any eye contact, and they might just leave us alone."

My heart skipped a beat, "Who are they?" I asked, preparing to stand up and get the Chihuahua. My finger itched to repel any potential threats, especially if they happened to be raiders.

Josef groaned, "Trouble, that's who. Don't make any sudden moves either, and for fuck's sake, don't point a gun at them," he demanded the emphasized with a swat at my reaching hand.

We were rapidly approaching the two figures who stood still on the side of the road, next to a small shack next to the water on our left. Both were clad in combat armor, painted black and were crowded around a large military truck of the same deep black with a large claw insignia haphazardly plastered on the doors.

They were definitely not raiders.

One turned around and cut his eyes at us. A burning cigarette jutted from his mouth, which he took from it and shook a dusting of ashes from. Upon closer inspection, he decided that it had burned far beyond his preference, and with a flick of his finger, he sent the burned out smoke to the ground where his boot pushed it into the dirt. He muttered something to the other, who turned around as well and eyed our motor home suspiciously.

Despite Josef's instruction, I glared at them. The only sounds were roars of Josef stomping the gas pedal and the gentle lilting of Three Dog's song for us. I didn't break eye contact with them until they were out of view and due to this, I witnessed something unsettling.

The first one to notice us grinned dementedly at me, or so I thought.

As we passed, I watched them step into the road from the rear-view mirror. The first one, a man with shaggy, black hair, still grinned at me in the reflection. His taste for smoke had visibly affected his teeth, as one or two were missing.

Josef let out the breath he had been holding in since they came into view, a veritable eruption of carbon dioxide and nitrogen. "Good, good," he repeated, "They didn't seem to notice us," he observed and glanced over to me. "I thought I said not to look at them or was that too much to ask?"

I was taken aback by his sudden hostility. "Easy there," I said firmly, "I don't think they wanted anything to do with us, whoever they were."

Josef hardly relented, "Just...If I say something like that just listen to me, alright? I don't wany any extra trouble."

"Talon Company," Ana called out from behind us, "That's who they are. I've seen them a few times. They're a mercenary group, though nowadays they're more like a private military. Tenpenny used to do business with them from time to time, but they started to get a little nastier than usual, not that they ever were that friendly of people," Ana explained, some distant animosity towards the group.

"Tenpenny wasn't that great of a guy either, if I remember correctly," I spat.

"Yeah, but even he cared about his reputation. Couldn't keep that stiff upper lip with hands covered in blood," she reminisced, "But it all went downhill for them about six or so years ago, I think it was," she shut one eye, trying to wrest the information from her memory, "A group of them rolled into this town on the edge of the Capital Wasteland, Republic of Dave. It was just a few people, to be honest, pretty much some guy and his family."

"What did they do?"

Ana shivered, which made me do so as well in dreadful anticipation. "What didn't they do? People say that the only thing on the job said was to leave no one alive," she wrapped her arms around her torso, the chilling action making her feel the iciness as well, "There..there were kids there."

I felt my skin crawl at that. "They killed...kids?" No matter what I thought I had heard in the wasteland, I thought no one could be so cruel as to harm innocent children.

"Everyone knew they weren't choosy about what jobs they took, but they had never done that before. And when it happened it spread like wildfire. Everyone knew what had happened within a few days and everyone who had ties with them cut them all immediately."

I clenched my fists, disgust overtaking me. I knew I wasn't perfect, but I was far above doing something so abhorrent. I wanted to throw up, but I held it back and choked out a few words laced with contempt, "Did anyone think that someone should've killed the twisted bastards?"

"We all did," Josef agreed, pain evident in him, "We all did..." he whispered as the radio went silent, the hiccup of the engine and the crunch of debris under the wheels putting a cap on our dreary conversation.

I could hardly believe that people could get away with such horrendous actions. It really put the lack of unified laws in the Capital, a place that once prided itself on being the secure seat of power in the United States, in perspective.

* * *

The force of Josef putting on the brakes made me slide forward, threatening to send me face first onto the floor of our motor home. I pushed with my legs to retain my position until the force lessened and we skidded to a halt.

"Laid the brakes on a little heavy, didn't ya?" Ana teased, standing up and stretching to the ceiling.

"I guess I got carried away," he muttered as he twisted the key and removed it from the ignition, "I don't think either of you has ever driven before, but it's kind of fun when you get a feel for it."

"I'll take your word for it. Traffic's a nightmare around these parts," I commented insincerely. I jerked the door open, the midday sunlight flooding into the somewhat dimly lit interior.

"Hat," Josef announced as he sent the apparel sailing towards me.

I was not quick enough to grab it in time and let it collide with me. I grumbled as I bent down and placed it on my head, the rugged, brown thing. It had obviously been dragged through the dirt in the past, but it was much like the rest of my clothes so I didn't make much of it.

Rivet City was just as Josef described it: a massive, rusty ship, an aircraft carrier, complete with the hustle and bustle of a traders, travelers and mercenaries alike. Most were heading down the ramp leading to a large metal bridge spanning the gap between the river and the city itself. We waltzed up to the top of the structure, passing a few traders who apparently were not welcome on the ship but still intent on selling their wares. My eyes began to wander I found myself peering over the side into the watery depths below, not on the questionable items for sale.

Josef conversed with a man on the intercom, who demanded to know our business and how long we would be staying. We could answer the first question, but hardly the second, much to the guardsman, Harkness's, dismay. In the end, he decided that none of us appeared to be a threat and welcomed us to Rivet City with as stern a warning as Lucas Simms had given me on my first day in Megaton.

"I just want to make myself clear. Don't start any trouble around here, or you'll have any number of River City security on your ass in half a second," Harkness warned, "Now, that the unpleasantness is out of the way, I can tell it's your first time here," he began, immediately softening up, "Believe me, I've seen everyone's mug around here more than enough to notice a new one. Anywhere I can help you find?" he inquired helpfully, rifle still clutched closely.

"Yeah, in fact," I spoke amicably, dearly hoping that the guard could help us, "I'm here looking for my dad. He came around recently looking for someone named Dr. Madison Li. If you know where she's at, I'll be on my way."

Harkness smirked, "Probably nose deep in a book or in her notes, just like the rest of the eggheads in the science lab. I think I do remember a guy or two coming through here about a week ago, close to it, anyway," he admitted, eyes looking off to the sky while he tried to remember.

"Older guy? Soft spoken and probably looked out of place?" I described, my hopes reaching an all-time high, "Probably wearing a Pip-Boy like mine?"

"I'm not too sure, that might be him. I do know he liked to come and go between the monument over that way with a couple of tough looking guys, bodyguards I think but..." he shook his head, "...I don't remember if he came back," he continued apologetically. "Eh, I'd just say to pop in and see if he's around. I could've just missed him, been on break and whatnot. Madison won't be too upset as long as you time it right," he said, failing to recall too much of value, "Just follow the signs, it's up the stairs and down the hall all the way to the end. Big, open area. Just ask anyone part of security if you get lost."

My smile melted off a little bit. I had really hoped for a definite answer. It didn't help that Harkness may have just said a man matching my father's description had not returned, either. "Well, thanks anyway,"

"So, anywhere around here to get something to eat?" Ana interrupted, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything of substance quite yet.

"Right behind me in the market," Harkness directed with a nod, and a friendly grin, "Gary's Galley will set you up nice," he noted and stepped to the side, allowing us to pass.

Ana led our charge to market, and to food, despite still limping from the previous day's incident.

Rivet City's marketplace was bursting at the seams with people buying and selling almost any type of good imaginable. Shopkeepers shouted over each other, begging any travelers and even locals to buy their items, some even promising impossible things. Guns, drugs (sorry, _chems)_ , clothing, armor, even junk were being sold at varying prices. It was a scavenger's dream come true, but hardly a vault dweller's. I have mentioned that I was not very handy, so most of the junk was simply a distraction. I had no idea how I could find my father in the mass of people, so I opted to delay m search until after out meal.

We stuck as close as possible to each other, but my wandering caused me to get split from my friends and end up at a guns and ammunition store called Flak and Shrapnel's. It was impressive what they had on sale, and slightly terrifying as well. Between them, they possessed more firepower than the entire security detail of the city. Miniature nuclear warheads were on display, as was the same type of launcher I had used to defeat the behemoth at GNR.

Oh, how I longed for such a fine piece of weaponry once again.

The biggest surprise was the semi-familiar face that was browsing the inventory at Flak and Shrapnel's: Red-Hair from Megaton, as calm and collected as ever, despite his immediate activity. He was presently giving one of the shopkeepers a crushing defeat in an arm wrestling match over a disputed price.

"C'mon, Flak, don't let this little bitch win. Caps are on the line!" the other, Shrapnel, hollered. He slammed his hands on the table, eyeing the two intently and not paying the slightest amount of attention to me.

Red-Hair, at last, gained the upper hand after much struggling and pushed Flak's hand to the tabletop. A quick, keen smile flashed across his face, then he settled back into his typical expression.

"Damn it!" Flak cursed, wringing his hand painfully, "It was the kid that distracted me!" he whined, pointing to me.

"Kid didn't even say nothing. Shut up and pay the man his caps," Shrapnel commanded dejectedly. He rubbed his forehead and glanced up at me, "And don't you get any ideas, either,"

I raised my hands, "Don't worry, I'm not. I like a challenge," I replied with a wry grin.

Flak glared at me as he placed the bag of caps in Red-Hair's hands, "Three hundred caps, as promised."

The corner of Red hair's mouth upturned once again, "It was good doing business with you, gentlemen," he remarked sincerely and shoved the bag of caps into the brown coat he was wearing. With a nod of his head, he turned around to leave but stopped when he caught an eyeful of me. He looked up and down as if his eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing, "Well, Mr. Paul Carver, in the living flesh!" he exclaimed, genuine surprise covering his words, "I heard you died in the Mall! It was all over Megaton!" he brought to mind. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the support beam of the tent covering the shop. "It seems the rumors were wrong!"

"Yeah, some, uh, some strange stuff happened," I downplayed, hoping to redirect the conversation. I watched as Flak flopped down on the lumpy couch at the back of the shop, a scowl burning at us both. "So what brings you out this far?"

Red-Hair adjusted the holster dangling at his hip, "Moira Brown, that's who. Not to mention an old friend of mine is in town right now, figured I'd check up on him," he explained nonchalantly. Again, he twisted the holster as it had not sat in the desired position.

"Oh? You're the person Moira said was helping her out. With the book, right?"

"That's right. I wasn't going to do it, but, well," he trailed off, growing distant from the conversation, "I needed a reason to explore. Now, I hate to cut our conversation short, but I need to be on my way," he said, clasping his hands and backing away slowly, "You take care of yourself, Mr. Carver," he advised, then waved goodbye, the strangest smirk on his face.

"You, too," I replied, then walked away to find my friends, hardly thinking much of the only conversation I had with the man. I still didn't think to properly introduce myself to him, although I'm sure he knew about me through the stories in Megaton. Something felt wrong as I still hadn't decided to even ask his name, given that we seemed to be bumping into each other. Manners were not of the utmost importance at the time anyways.

My companions were already sitting at the bar at Gary's Galley. Ana was waving her hand wildly in the air while Josef was draining a beer can of all of its contents and devouring the iguana-on-a-stick sitting on his plate.

"Did you get lost?" Ana asked, feigning worry, "You didn't talk to any strangers, did you? You know not to do that, right?"

"Just one, the red-haired guy from Megaton. The one helping Moira with her book," I explained, skimming the menu for anything desirable. It was the usual local favorites in the Capital, which the only thing I actively enjoyed was the same meal Josef had ordered.

"He's a far piece from home, isn't he?" Josef remarked through mouthfuls, "And Moira's writing a book? Oh, Lord."

"I thought the same thing," I agreed while the waitress, Angela, took the menu back, "but apparently he seemed to think it was a good idea, especially if he's come out this far. Besides, haven't you ever heard of not judging a book by it's cover?"

"Speaking of Moira, how much do we have to pay her with?"

Josef wiped his mouth with, then took another swig of his drink right after. "Well, after all that we ordered, probably two-fifty-eight."

I dropped my head due to our money troubles, catching it mid-fall in my hands and rubbing my brow vigorously. "All that we've done and we're still so far away, maybe I should've wrung a few more caps out of Three Dog."

"Woah, for real?" Ana responded, taking my comment far too seriously, "I thought you said it went smoothly?"

"It did. Three Dog is a DJ, not an idiot. He knew I meant business, so he didn't do much in the way of arguing," I noted, "I bet he had some more tucked away in that empty head of his."

Angela returned with my order, dropped the plate in front of me with a smile, then sashayed back around the area to take more orders. I nodded in thanks, but I don't believe she saw me.

The steaming hot shish kebab of reptile was slightly overdone, but such is that nature of trying to cook it. I hate to say it looked appetizing even though it did.

Perhaps wasteland delicacies had begun to grow on me and besides, most of it wasn't as tasteless as the vault food. I will never know how they can make something as flavorful as an apple taste like cardboard.

Ana poked at her food, as if lost in thought, eyes distant. The clinking of the silverware on porcelain was grating, but probably only to the three of us. Conversations filling the airway rendered most other sounds unintelligible. "So, Paul I've been meaning to ask," she began after deciding that poking a piece of dead, grilled mole rat wasn't a proper method of communication.

I stopped chewing for a moment, just long enough to mumble a hearty, "Uh-huh?" to her.

"Have you been...feeling alright?" she inquired nervously. Ana set the fork carefully to one side, then adjusted it. "I mean, it's not like I think you're acting strange or anything, well, actually, I do. But I don't mean it in a bad way, just more like a..." she paused, "A general question of health."

I spun the now cleaned wooden stick in my hand too fast and sent it falling to the metal flooring below.

"Are you?" Josef replied, despite the question not being directed at him, "You're doing that nervous talking thing,"

Ana smiled weakly, "Am I?" She said, hands wrestling one another below the bar, "It's just you've seemed out of sorts since you got back. I don't know what it is, but you're just different somehow."

I stood back up from grabbing the fallen wooden stick and placed it back on the bar. "I feel fine, all things considered. I've just been focused is all, now that we know where we're going. It's like nearly dying gave me a zest for life I didn't have before," I assured, then gave her a nudge in the ribs, "what gave you the impression something was wrong?"

"Mm. Nothing I guess. Woman's intuition?"

"I thought it was usually right?" Josef poked, "Does it say anything else?"

"Lots of things. Most of which are not decent things to talk about at the table," she exhaled, then drummed her hands on the bar a few times. She counted out the caps and left them sitting on the table and spun around to stand.

"This better not be some way of flirting for you two," I grumbled, standing from the stool and watching a few travelers pass us by.

"Anything's possible my friend," Josef declared. He slammed his hand on my back, causing me to tense up from the stinging sensation it brought. "Now how's about we go looking for what's her name? Dr. Li?" He suggested, brushing off the awkwardness of our previous topic like a master conversationalist.

Passing through the corridors of Rivet City was a chore within itself. They were no tighter than the hallways in the vault, yet the increased volume of people made it seem increasingly claustrophobic. People either too busy to pay attention or without enough motivation to care brushed against me, or completely collided with me head-on. Most didn't apologize, but then again, I didn't either. Reuniting with my father was the only thing of any importance at the time, although I had no solid evidence that he was still around.

Something inside me said that he was, though.

The feeling only built as we approached the science lab. My pace quickened as we began to pass around the balcony encircling the large room. Instruments of the chemical and medical variety were clearly located on either side of the room but carefully separate as not to mix them. Between both, there was a small enclosure with several planters filled with moist dirt and the first signs of life peeking between the grains, right in front of a large cylindrical object.

Two scientists, donning their lab coats, and a few people who were observably not, sped back and forth between stations. Their eyes and minds were so focused on the work at hand that they paid no mind to my entrance.

I cleared my throat, "Excuse me!" I spoke powerfully. The two coats looked up at me incredulously, wondering who could be so brave to interrupt their work. "I uh, I'm looking for a Dr. Li? Is she around right now?"

One woman clicked her pen repeatedly stopped to entertain my question enough to offer a kind response. "She's busy right now. Do you mind coming back later?"

I grimaced, not liking the rejection, "It'll just take a second, I just need to ask her something real quick."

She looked at me once again and seeing that I was not going to leave even if asked politely, she groaned, "Fine, let me go get her. It's gonna be your butt on the line," she muttered as she walked towards a door across the room.

"Check this place out!" Josef exclaimed, catching an eyeful of the chemical cabinet, "I've never seen anyone with so many chemicals just sitting around," he continued, face pressed against the glass.

I was about to give him a rundown of proper laboratory behavior, which included not rummaging through the chemical supply without the proper permissions, but the woman returned with another much angrier one by her side. I assumed this to be the illustrious Dr. Madison Li.

"Look, I've been over this before. I don't know how many times I have to tell you people that I can't help you..." she began, the full force of her wrath preparing to be unleashed, "Dear God..." she whispered while all breath escaped her lungs. The doctor placed her hand over her mouth in shock. She grew pale held the clipboard close to her chest. Her eyes scanned me several times but had trouble believing what they were seeing. After a long silence, she finally gave one directive, "Janice, get James,"

Janice looked at her dumbfounded.

"He's here?!" I nearly shouted, unaware of the volume of the outburst.

"Now!" Madison shouted.

She immediately scampered off to the stairwell, but I wasn't about to stand there gawking, not when they knew where my father was. I barreled past the flabbergasted Dr. Li and knocked a few items off the table, leaving my two friends behind as if forgotten.

Up the stairs and out into the corridors of the upper deck we went. I nudged people out of the way, trying not to lose sight of the fleet-footed Janice. She blended in with the faces and the bodies, all obstacles going a different way than I was. Suspicious eyes were on me, but I didn't care as my heart was ready to burst in confused but happy excitement.

I followed her to a corridor that led to twisting flights of stairs. We passed through several rooms, some populated by black-armored security guards, who only asked where the fire was, specifically trying to be as condescending as possible. Before long, I had outrun Janice and was simply running until the stairs ran out. I cursed at myself out loud for being so eager, but my legs wouldn't stop no matter how many swears I spat.

The signs read, "flight deck," which I assumed was where she was leading me. I tripped over a few steps and landed face first on the ground, but immediately picked myself up and begin my mad dash once again.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of stairwells, I came to a large ship door. I turned the wheel and pushed the heavy metallic door open with all my force. Bright sunlight shone in, lighting up the darkened corner of the corridors. The hatch swung open hard enough to instill a worry that someone might have been on the other side, but once I saw that it was clear, I took a deep breath and stepped out into the open air.

The wind was blowing much stronger due to the elevation, and I found myself holding onto my hat as I carefully eyed the two figures standing near the edge. The two older men conversed while one leaned longingly over the railing, a small cup hanging from his hand.

My first few questions swirled, but none cared to make themselves heard, opting to remain silent instead. _"Alright, later then,"_ I thought to myself and swallowed hard.

I took only a few steps and caused one to turn around. He had his hair carefully combed to the side, parted on the left, exuding a professional air. A long, heavy coat extending to his ankles, tan in color, was flapping in the wind, but only slightly. He looked me over, and as if struck by an epiphany, his eyes widened.

He mentioned my presence to the other, who looked over his shoulder once, uninterested at the kid from vault 101 who had interrupted their conversation. He then gazed back out again only to spin all the way around in disbelief.

The cup dropped from his hand, spilling the water inside on the ground. He, however, was quicker than it was, as he had already covered the gap between us before the impact.

I wanted to say many things in that moment.

I wanted to shout, to let out all my anger at him for what had happened, for driving us both from a safe but imperfect home. And yet, I also found myself incapable of forming any words of fury, the inferno having been extinguished temporarily.

I wanted to play it cool, to appear aloof and collected, yet I couldn't maintain my composure. Something had removed whatever feign of distant pragmatism I had put on.

I wanted to explain why I wasn't the way he remembered me, why I was different inside and outside, yet all explanations were muddled and confused.

I wanted to say many things in that moment, but they were all cut short when he pulled me into one of those embraces only a worried parent is capable of.

The kind that is just a bit too tight, but you'd hate to pull away because you know how much it means to them. The very kind that is slightly uncomfortable, though ultimately comforting because you know the importance behind it, the unfiltered love they are trying to convey. The kind of embrace, with a hand on the back of your head, holding you so close you felt as if they were challenging the world to drive you apart, yet so horrified that it might do just that.

A multitude of things wanted to exit my mouth. Anxiety induced vomit, for one, a demand for answers for another.

However, everything I wanted to say in that moment was cut short by one simple question from my father, "Son, what in God's name are you _doing_ here?"

To which I simply replied, chin on his shoulder, "Looking for you."

* * *

 **Hey, hey, it's your friendly neighborhood Square here, listening to what you have to say.**

 **Oh, I hear you. "James isn't supposed to be here!" you might be saying, "What about Vault 112?!" you might be asking. And to that I will say that I haven't forgotten about it, I just have another use for it. It's too deep in spoiler territory to say (no surprise, come to think of it) so just keep in mind that I do have some plans for it.**

 **And I apologize to all of the fans of the Republic of Dave. I'm so sorry.**

 **Actually, no I'm not.**

 **Thanks again to Alexeij for the reviews. Everyone else can review as well, no matter how long or short your review might be. Go ahead, I implore you to do so. See you next time...  
**


	22. A Reunion and an Encounter

Chapter Twenty-Two

A Reunion and an Encounter

 _~ September 11, 2277 ~_

My father eased down onto the bench beside me, a groan escaping his lips as the aches and pains of an aging body not accustomed to life in the Capital Wasteland reminded him of the youth he had lost long ago. He grumbled about his overtaxed self, just as he would in the vault when he spent too many sleepless nights caring for the ailing elderly citizens we lived in close proximity to. A newly filled cup was swished back and forth, the contents of his racing mind doing just the same.

It was the strangest thing, surreal, even, being next to him, overlooking the entrance of Rivet City while wanderers did as they typically do and trotted across the bridge, going either way but neither of us acting as if anything were different. An outside observer would have trouble believing that he had come from a vault, let alone as recently as he did. The tell-tale out of place look that plagued us former vault dwellers was absent.

Somehow, and it baffles me to this day, he had managed to be the same person I had known my entire life down to even the smallest of mannerisms. At one point or another, an ugly idea had presented itself to me quite a while before I reunited with my father, one that said he was no longer going to be the soft-spoken, stern, yet gentle and caring person he had been for my entire life.

When I found out that he was, it was like a glimmer of hope in a place where I had believed there to be none burst through the murky darkness. The last vestige of my old life had been found when I had all but given up on finding any sense of familiarity. Perhaps it was me alone that had changed.

"Paul, I can't believe you followed me out here," my father said, sighing in exasperation but devoid of anger, "I specifically told you to stay home, didn't I?"

"I'm...uh..." I stammered, grasping at an escaping vocabulary until I gave up. I scratched an itch on my neck that plagued me at only the precise moment I looked for a response. "Sorry?"

He cupped his face in his hands, then dragged his palms downwards, stretching his wrinkled face into a strange proportion, "Never mind. There's nothing we can do about it now. I'm just glad you're safe. You are, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I'm sitting right here, aren't I?" I shot back, trying to bring some witty response, yet failing to do so.

"Yes. I guess you are," he whispered to himself, a grin spreading across his face, "I'm sorry if this...If I'm not doing well with words as of now, son. I'm having a devil of a time..." He paused again, eyes suddenly distant, pained, "Dealing with this."

I looked down into the cup he had brought me. "Really? Why's that? I was thinking it was going to be alright now that I found you," I surmised, then turned the bottom of the cup skyward to take a long, uncomfortable sip.

His face dropped again, the forlorn expression growing deeper. "In a perfect world, yes. It would be better, but this is far from a perfect world, as I'm sure you've learned by now."

I finished drinking the water, perhaps too quickly as I had no excuse to not respond anymore. "Yeah, there're some problems out here, but I've got a plan."

My father chuckled humorlessly. "Oh? And what is that?"

I threw the cup forward, the wind blowing it back towards us but not far enough to prevent its fall to the ground below.

"And don't litter. This place is a mess as it is!" he corrected.

"Sorry," I responded sheepishly, "But I've been thinking. Why don't we just make our lives out here, my friend has this big house near Megaton, and even better, I've seen plenty of other houses out there. I'm sure one of them has enough room for us, especially considering all of them are bigger than our old apartment in the vault," I explained happily. "We could all go back, whenever you finish what you're doing here!"

"Yes, those rooms were pitifully tiny, weren't they? Of course, the buildings out here are probably larger than you could imagine, aren't they?" Dad said, speaking out of the side of his mouth in both amusement and pity for our one-time home.

"It was an adjustment, I'll say that," I stretched my arms out to the sky, "And it's almost like the main room out here is infinite! And the light at the top is so bright! Y'know?"

My father looked at me worriedly.

"I'm kidding."

Dad raised his eyebrows in a disbelieving fashion. "I see. And what's this about friends? You made friends out here?" he responded teasingly, "My, my, you're quite the social bloatfly, aren't you?"

"I'm serious! They're good people, too! Their names are Josef and Ana, and they're probably the only reason I've made it this far if I'm being honest," I told, proud enough of my two companions to acknowledge their aid, despite my ego. I had my moments when I was not always a haughty individual.

"Is that so?"

"I mean, I've helped out some. Y'know, here and there. Just don't tell them what I said, though. I'll sound like some sappy kid."

"I'll guard the secret with my life," he said, hand raised and pretending to swear an oath.

"When I was twelve, you said that about my crush on Susie Mack," I pointed out, arms crossed.

"You were too nervous to talk to her without getting nauseous," he muttered, a smile cracking his face, "And besides, I didn't think that Mrs. Taylor would spread the word so fast," he excused.

"I would've said something! I just needed some time, dad," I grumbled, finding it within myself to be embarrassed at an event from ten years prior.

Dad tapped his temple, insinuating that he was recalling something, "Perhaps I was wrong, but isn't six months enough time to prepare?"

A goofy smile pushed my cheeks up, "I needed seven. Or the rest of my life. One or the other would've been just fine."

The most graceful of snorts came from dad as he doubled over in raucous laughter. It was contagious, too, because I soon found myself giggling like a child for no other reason than because he was.

"Look at us!" he gasped out, a hand on his chest holding back another fit of chuckles, "Sitting here laughing without a care in the world! And about something so mundane as well!" he managed to observe between breaths to compose himself.

I grabbed on to my hat as a sudden gust of wind tried to take it from me. "I guess that's what we have to settle for out here, huh?" I remarked, unintentionally draining the lightheartedness of the moment.

"Some semblance of normality? I would say so," he agreed with a strange look in my direction. It was long and scrutinizing as if he still questioned the new reality he had been faced with but wanted desperately to accept it. The longer he looked, the more uncomfortable I felt until I began to feel a mounting fear coming to a head. "My, my, what have I done to get us into this mess?" he needled, but not of me.

"What's going on, dad?" I sheepishly asked, catching a full glimpse of his distraught face.

He looked worried, more so than I had ever seen him. He was deep in thought and was going deeper until I tried to pull him out of it with that simple question. "I don't know, son," dad glumly stated, "I just...I don't know what I need to ask you first."

I stamped my feet, trying to will up some courage in the face of my thoughtful parent. It didn't take much to realize that he was just as puzzled about our situation as I was and maybe even more, but for some reason, he started asking me for answers. As he had noted, I was supposed to remain in Vault 101 where he imagined I would be safe, although things didn't quite go according to plan. "Just ask whatever comes to mind. I'll try to answer it."

Dad leaned against the bench and tilted his head back as well. The cloudy sky above had gained his pondering gaze but did nothing to aid him in finding answers. Eyes came back down from looking skyward, then to me. "I guess the first question would be, 'what happened to you?'"

"As in, on the way out or on the any here?" I asked, dodging the question poorly.

Dad's brow furrowed. "Hm, I guess on the way out would be the best place to start, wouldn't it?"

I cast my eyes downward, hoping that avoiding direct contact would make things easier to say. I couldn't imagine how I was to tell him about my bloody adventures up to that point. How was I to explain to my father, the man that had taught me my entire life that nonviolent solutions are always the answer, to turn the other cheek, that I had murdered a man in cold blood? Nothing I had learned growing up would ever give rise to such a horrid action, yet I took a life anyway. In fact, I did more than simply murder him.

I butchered him. And I did it willingly. But did the same rules apply to the surface world?

"Well," I began, thinking of anything to stall for time. Nothing. "Amata woke me up that morning after you left. She was really scared, and she told me that you were gone," I folded my hands, resisting the urge to think back to my horrified friend, "She said that her dad was looking for me, angry enough to kill, and that the only way for me to survive was to get out of there, so that's what we did."

"I see. That's good that she found you quickly. If she had..."

"But that's not all," I interrupted, "Right outside our apartment, Mr., uh, Officer Kendall was waiting. He grabbed Amata and I fought him off to make him let her go."

My dad froze up, scared of what could've been, "I see. I know you might not have wanted to, but..."

"But I left him to die," I admitted, feeling the first signs of nausea building up, "A bunch of radroaches came out and started to eat him alive. I just ran away and left him to die. Then it got worse. I found...I found Jonas," I whispered, flashing back to the broken body of my father's assistant and longtime friend. "They just beat him to death, like he was some criminal! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Dad's face was immediately filled with grief, "Dear God. Jonas, I'm so sorry," he softly whimpered. He covered his face with his hands, and I thought I saw him begin to sob until he uncovered his sorrowful face once again.

I felt even worse as I knew well what happened just after my gruesome discovery. Pangs of guilt tore at my heart, as I had no one to blame but myself. "And when I was just about to leave, Amata's dad showed up. He...he had a gun pointed at me, and I just reacted,"

Dad began to reach out his hand, "Son, what did you..."

"I-I killed him. Him and Officer Mack." I muttered, bravado and strength taking their leave of my spirit, "I made the Overseer shoot Mack, then I smashed his head in with a hammer, like some animal!" I cried out, guilt overtaking me once again. "And I didn't feel bad about it then. Now I do and I don't know why!" I growled, trying to make sense of the words between my floundering. I felt my body begin to shake, remorse choking me once again, a sensation I would become accustomed to. "I thought I was justified since he had killed Jonas and I think he was about to kill me, but now I'm just confused and scared of what I did! I don't know why I did it or what I should've..."

Dad pulled me into another tight embrace, just as he did when I found him, "It's okay, son. Shhh, it's alright."

"No! It's not, dad!" I exclaimed, all my anger and fury being unraveled into potent guilt and shame. "I've killed so many people I've known all my life, and I can't do anything to bring them back! I don't know if they really were going to hurt me, and I can never know! It's different out here with all the raiders and bad people! I know what'll happen if I don't do anything to keep them away!"

"That's all we can know, son. What they might do," my dad responded, trying to soothe me. "We can't wait for them to act on our fears, or it may be too late."

"But does it make it right?" I asked, desperate for an easy answer to my conundrum.

Dad looked back, tears streaming down his wrinkled face. "No, it's never going to be right. There's no way to make it okay, or the right thing to do, no matter how much we want it to solve things. We just do what we have to do to protect each other," he explained, voice quaking with each pained word, "And if that means taking the life of someone threatening us, then that's what we'll do. It's all we can do to protect people we care about. This place out here..." He trailed off, "It's not like the vault or any world before it. Everything out here is screaming for you to change, to be like them and throw ethics and morals away."

I couldn't argue with that. From what I had seen, and what I had been told, it was a fight or die life in the wasteland. No one was safe from even their own neighbors. People were desperate, and desperate people do desperate things.

Dad sighed long, and settled into a few moments of silence before continuing, "It's the challenge we all face out here," he began, the regaining composure evident in his tone, "When everyone is telling you to descend, to give in to the vices of this god-forsaken world, you have to resist them. It's never easy, not with the hopelessness around you, the utter anarchy, and it never will be. But you have to keep going, keep walking back against the horrid, cold wind blowing."

I tried to remove myself from his hug, but he held on tighter. I wanted to distance myself from his tearful visage before I began to follow suit.

"But I don't know what I would've done if something had happened to you," he stated, emotion once again threatening to overtake him. "You're all I have left, and I can't even bear the thought of..." he trailed off but completed his thought with an increasingly tightened grip. "Even if you had to take someone's life. I can't say I'm proud that you did it, but I'm so proud that you made it all the way here and that you still know it's wrong. That you haven't lost that sense like so many people do. That you fought so hard to survive. There are people who live their entire lives out here and wouldn't dream of coming this far."

I finally freed myself from his grip and slid myself across the bench. "There's still more to tell you, Dad," I began again, the fear and dread of more recent events overtaking the shame of my exodus. I reached up and removed my hat, not that it was doing very good at hiding my newfound baldness.

Dad's expression went from solely grieving to a mix of intrigue as well. I can't imagine how he didn't take note of it before, but perhaps it was due to the shock of our reunion.

"I went to see Three Dog, and he sent me out to find some part for his radio. On the way, we got into a lot of trouble, and the super mutants got me."

I heard a gasp from my father as he was gripped by the same foreboding I felt in Germantown, brought on by the sinister chatter of the ogres within.

"While I was in some police station, they tried to mutate me, and I think it worked a little bit. It made me bigger and stronger, and it's also why I look like I do, including the," I pointed to my head, "Y'know. One of my friends thinks it has something to do with how the rest of them are bald."

Dad shot up like a rocket, dropped back to his knees directly in front of me and took a firm hold on my shoulders. "Son, I need you to listen to me. Pay closer attention than you ever have in your life," he demanded. I was taken aback by his sternness, though I could see it was coming from a well-intentioned place.

I decided to go along with it.

"I've never dealt with someone who's not been mutated fully, so I don't know exactly what could happen," he explained fervently, "But I do know some of the effects you can and probably will experience if you haven't already."

I nodded, "Is it something I should be worried about? I mean, the mutation's done and over, isn't it?"

Dad focused intently on me and seemed to be biting his tongue in distaste for the truth of the situation. "When people are mutated with the specific strand of the FEV the mutants here are known for they gain higher bone density as well as increased muscle mass, among becoming immune to most diseases that average humans are plagued with, some of them being genetic. But that's not the worry I have for you, it's the nastier effects of it," he continued. His arms started to shake as he fought back the gnawing fear of the next part of his explanation. "Among being made infertile, due to how the virus deals with what it sees as damaged cells, it also poses a severe threat to the mental health of the infected."

A puzzle piece seemed to align perfectly for me at the mention of the mental effects, not that I was particularly accepting of the potential of being made sterile. Neither of those things was desirable, but I'd argue the endangerment of my mind itself was more frightening than any potential children would be. Still, I didn't want to mention any of the changes I felt in myself as of late. I couldn't acknowledge them.

Dad removed one hand from my shoulder, "In a normal situation, the mutation progresses, and the super mutant will grow tremendously, even up to the size of a building, growing stronger as well. While that sounds well and good for you, the deterioration of the gray matter in the brain will increase sharply, and render them little more than a feral giant with no recollection of who they once were."

My heart thumped rapidly as he droned on about effects. I didn't want to hear them, but at the same time, I was morbidly intrigued. "Is there a cure? Anything at all?"

Dad shook his head. "None that is known to anyone in the Capital Wasteland, as far as I know. Perhaps not even in the world. But, all that to say that I still don't know exactly how it'll affect you."

"Because of the halfway mutation? That probably threw a few of the effects off, right?"

"Precisely. I can't say for sure if the deterioration will happen at all, to be honest, but it's very likely. With that being said, it could be a long time before you ever see anything come of it. It could be months, it may not rear its head for another fifty years when your older than I am."

I cracked the faintest of smiles, a light-hearted thought lighting up my somber self. "That's pretty old, huh?"

Dad mirrored my expression, "Very."

Neither of us had smiled sincerely, though.

A few fluttering birds above squawked and bickered over nothing but the sky itself. Sharp winds blowing over the deck had caught them and taken them higher until they flattened their wings and dropped down again. One spread his wings once again and soared high into the distance, leaving the other to either drop further or give chase. He would decide to chase furiously, flapping and squawking like the apocalypse was happening once again.

After a bit of silence, I was ready to ask my father one of the most important questions on my mind, or rather, let him know that I was aware of a blatant lie I had been told. "Dad, the vault hasn't always been closed, has it?"

Dad tensed up, his demeanor like that of an animal caught in a trap. "Son, I didn't mean for you to..."

"Look, I don't want to sound like a dick," I cut him off, "but, please, I just want a straight answer. No excuses or dodging the question. Has the vault been closed up for 200 years or not?"

He began to shift and move uncomfortably, the prickly question stirring the ease out of him. "No. No, it hasn't been closed for two hundred years, only the past nineteen or so," he conceded, "Alphonse was never good at creating very compelling lies, anyway," Dad muttered under his breath.

"Nineteen, huh? So I take it that..." I surmised, somehow feeling my spirit brought down by having the truth, at last. I thought that I really wanted the truth, but I must have taken solace in a lie all that time, as so many do.

"I'm sorry, son. I'm sorry for lying to you, but it was part of the deal," he revealed, "Alphonse let the both of us in, but in exchange for that, everyone in the vault shut their mouths along with the door. No one was supposed to ever leave, and they definitely weren't supposed to get in."

"But why the hell would he make such a big deal about it? Why not just tell everyone the truth and be done with it? Actually, why didn't you just tell me when he wasn't around?" I demanded to know, not giving dad any time to answer in the midst of the barrage of questions.

Dad looked at his feet that moved restlessly. "I, for one, intended to keep my end of the bargain, my word. I know it sounds ridiculous, but if I can't stand by my own words, then what can I stand by?"

A small bit of heat flickered to life in me once again but presently died out. "Fine. I get it. You're a man of your word, for the most part. What about him, then? Why did he want to be so hush-hush about something so small?"

"Small to us, but perhaps larger to him. I can't say for sure, really. Fear, maybe?"

I laughed to make evident my disbelief, but also to stave off doubt. "What did he have to be afraid of?"

"Well, think from his perspective. He had a daughter to look after and was put in the position only a few months before we got there. He had no idea what was going to happen when he took the reins from the previous Overseer, and with everyone watching his every move, judging him, he just had to act on intuition alone and hope that it led him the right way. So, when I showed up at the door with you, it probably looked like the outside world was trying to creep into his safe haven, the only place he was confident that his baby was safe in. But he couldn't turn someone away, not when they were just like him and his own daughter. He must've seen a father taking care of all he had left in the world, just like he was."

"But to go so far as trying to kill people for breaking his illusion?" I added, "How could he justify that?"

"Fear makes people do crazy things, Paul," dad replied, steadfast in his stance as ever.

I, however, was finding the ground beneath my own moral questioning beginning to shift once again. I had only recently come to a near-conclusion to my long-running moral battle with butchering the Overseer and had presumed that I was justified. But my father had a way of making me question it even more than I ever had, whether purposefully or not.

Yet I had the gall to consider things black and white, right and wrong, in the wasteland. I was still green in this strange world. Time would change my mind about a lot of things.

"Why do you think I took you there after your mother died?" Dad explained, then covered his mouth in response to opening another can of worms. His eyes bounced back and forth. Then his eyebrows furrowed in a silent curse to himself for raising the dead, pained memories of days long past.

"What about her? Did you keep anything from me about her?" I challenged, fully expecting his response but dreading it as well. Goosebumps took their place on my skin, my already clammy palms finding a way to become even more so while dad swallowed hard.

Dad sighed long. He ran his hands over his thighs and mumbled a few words to himself. "Yes, I did keep something about her as well," he exposed and thought to end his answer there. "Paul, you have to understand. I didn't want to tell you because it was easier to explain..."

"How is me killing her easier to explain?" I asked.

"You didn't kill her, son. She didn't even die giving birth to you, she..." dad paused, haunting memories returning once again, memories I'm sure he hoped to bury. "She died a day later. Just a day later..." Dad began but soon lost his composure.

I recoiled, realizing that I may have pressed too much. "Dad, I'm..." I stammered, hand outstretched to bridge a connection I thought I had damaged. "I'm sorry."

Dad didn't even look up at me, he only stared at the ground like she had still been there in front of him. "No, son. Don't be sorry," he hastily corrected, "Listen, I'm going to tell you everything about her and about, well, everything else, but could it wait until another day? If that's not asking too much?"

I fought off the urges to say no and to demand answers right then and there, but the still rational part answered instead. "Of course. We have plenty of time to talk, don't we? I have more things to tell you about, too."

Dad still hadn't heard every story of my new life. As visions of a man from a misnamed, small town, his face still frozen in desperate outreach, loomed over me and was joined by an elderly aristocrat bleeding in his own home with a desperate, ghoulish man, vying for a safe haven to bring his family, I decided it was for the best to leave things as they were. Still, dad's words had brought something to my attention that I had never seen before. Each one of them shared something that even they may not have realized. I, too, shared something with them.

* * *

The scurrying, busy scientists in the lab were hardly interrupted when we returned from our long talk on the flight deck.

"Where did the guy you were talking to run off to?" I asked peering about the room but not seeing the older man in any nook or cranny. I couldn't imagine his straying far from my father after being told he was a bodyguard, but he had done just that. I wanted to speak with him, but it wasn't a particularly pressing matter.

"I can't say. He and the other two typically disappear from time to time, but they'll be there when they're needed. Or when they need something," dad remarked, a slight annoyance apparent. He scratched at the prickly hairs on his chin, eyes growing distant while he pondered silently. "Don't mind that, though, we'll surely meet him later. How about your friends? Where are they? I'd like to meet them."

I leaned over the railing, squinted my eyes and looked for Ana and Josef. The brightly shining fluorescent lights above highlighted only the important spots in the lab, leaving the corners much darker. That is where my friends were waiting. They were conversing with yet another old man but not the one my father had spoken with before. His arms waved in the air, ruffling his clean pressed suit and exuding the heated explanation he was giving to my companions.

"They're not human beings, they simply appear to be!" He feverishly declared, "If you had the even the most basic comprehension about advanced AI and synthetic human technology, you wouldn't be struggling with this!"

Josef looked appalled at the man's insult to his intelligence, "So what you're saying is that we need to be one the lookout for two robots, one male, and one female, that are so _obviously_ not people, but look completely indistinguishable from a real person and a fake one. I'm hearing this right?" Josef repeated mockingly.

"Makes a hell of a lot of sense, doesn't it?" Ana added, then crossed her arms in irritation. She swayed her hip to the side, frowned intensely at the sharply dressed man in front, then seemed to bite her tongue.

I only wished I would've heard what comment she had on her lips. I needed a good laugh.

The old man growled. "Yes. It does make sense to even an idiot child. Look, if you're having this much trouble understanding, then I'll find someone else to do this for me. It's very important you find those two. One is an unimaginably valuable asset to my associates and me, and we cannot afford to make another at present."

Josef reached his hand out, undoubtedly about to place it on the man's shoulder, but was stopped short.

Quick as a flash yet fluid as a river and twice as powerful, another hand from behind the rather small man extended and gripped Josef's. "Hands off Dr. Zimmer," the burly man the hand belonged to commanded, eyes shining and fierce. Not even the slightest emotion existed in him, almost as if he was somehow inhuman, or in between, such as myself.

Josef stared him down, just as he had done when faced with the similarly intimidating Morgan Banks, then relaxed in the same manner. "Fine. We'll keep an eye out, but I'm not making any promises."

Zimmer adjusted his thick rimmed glasses, brushed the thin, feathery hair left atop his balding head, then placed a hand behind his back. He wrinkled his already creased face even further and turned his nose towards the ceiling. "See that you do! I will remain in Rivet City for a while longer, but make no mistake: this is no reason to tarry," he concluded as doubt took hold of his psyche in the prospect of my companions finding his lost property. Zimmer then snapped his fingers twice. "Armitage, come!" he spat to the man behind him, who reacted almost before the command was issued, and followed the in-motion Zimmer. The strange duo of gentlemen stomped up the steps opposite of me and proceeded into the corridor.

It seemed that Rivet City attracted all sorts of scientists both local and from distant places, as I would soon learn.

I took that as the appropriate moment to approach.

Both of them were wearing an expression that betrayed their calm outward appearance. I am entirely sure that they wanted to tell the condescending scientist off, and then some, but they held back for some reason.

"What the hell was that about?" I inquired upon approach.

Josef forced a laugh and thrust one hand deep into his pants pocket. "Some smug cu-"

"Nothing," Ana interrupted, pushed him to the side and then fired a glance at him, "Well, I mean, something or other. It doesn't matter a whole lot right now. I'll tell you about it later. Just some smug, _old fuck_ who thinks he can talk to people how he likes," she looked over her shoulder to Josef, who intently watched the pathway the two men had taken, "That what you were going to say?"

"Pretty much," he acknowledged and finally broke his gaze from the empty walkway, "I hate people like that, talking like they're hot shit, but doing none of the walking. At least put your big boy pants on and stop hiding behind your bodyguard," Josef craned his neck with enough tension in the rest of his form to make me slightly nervous.

I looked back and forth between the two scowling people. "Do I need to give you a minute?"

"No, it's all good. I wouldn't need a minute with them. Besides, this is your dad, right?" Josef jabbed a gloved finger towards my father.

Dad extended his hand to whoever would take it first, which happened to be Ana.

"Pleased to meetcha, Mr. Carver," Ana chirped with a warm smile and a steady step towards him, trying to shake off the disgust of moments earlier.

"Likewise. You must be Ana. Paul said something about the two of you being only..." dad began.

I cleared my throat to remind him of his oath.

Dad didn't appear to be amused in the slightest. "I'll take a stab in the dark and say that the gentleman there is this Josef? That's right, isn't it?"

"Yeah, good to meet you, Mr. Carver," Josef responded with the corners of his mouth turned up.

"Paul hasn't been too much trouble at times, has he? I certainly know he can be a handful..." he prodded, obviously meaning to embarrass me.

"Dad, please," I protested as he tried to stir up more mischief.

"Only every now and then," Josef insisted, flapping his hand up and down, "Sometimes you've just got to knock him back into place, don't you? I swear the stuff that goes through that head of his..."

I let Josef know I wasn't impressed.

He sputtered and laughed openly.

I was pleased that my notions of how reuniting with my father would go were ill founded. I had imagined that introductions would be more awkward than they were or that my father may have been less than pleased with my choice of friends, but everyone seemed to hit it off rather well. Josef recounted tales of his family-owned farm, which I learned his brother now controlled in his parent's stead, and Ana told about the finer side of wasteland living in Tenpenny Tower. I sat and allowed the conversation to take its natural course. Things were going swimmingly in every way. I had found my dad, had my friends and had a chance to start a new life on the surface. Despite the difficulties that I needed to conquer between my father and me, as well as my new half-mutant self, I was, for the first time in the wasteland, finding myself eager for the future.

The future, however, decided to interrupt our conversation just as I was about to learn what dad had seen as important enough to leave Vault 101 to complete.

A loud creak and the spinning wheel signaled that the large ship door was about to open. In strolled three men, one being the very same I had found my father conversing with.

He was an older man, perhaps around the same age as my father. He held a look on his face that did nothing to hide his flustered demeanor, one of a man at his wit's end and caught between a rock and a hard place. Yet, a distinct approachability was emanating from him as to prevent his distress from repelling anyone. The other two followed suit, yet were distinctly harsher in appearance and seemed to be cursing the day they had joined the one in front in whatever endeavor he seemed.

"James! James, dammit, I knew it was going to be worse than ya said!" the man with the tan coat shouted, causing Dr. Li, who had joined us in conversation, shudder in anguish at his voice. "It's like they've been nestin' there for the past ten years!" he reported, the southern drawl in his voice running deeper than most around the Capital.

Dad's face immediately changed as if he had seen some new, fresh sort of hell, as the men drew nearer.

"If we're gonna have at 'em, we're fixin' to need more guns and men!" my father's bodyguard groaned. "My boys and I are not gonna run at a bunch of muties and find ourselves with a few new holes." he pounded his fist on the guardrail of the balcony in frustration, then continued down the stairs to our level.

Dad stood from his chair in a rush. It was almost as if his aching body had ceased to do so. "There's no need to shout. I hear you loud and clear. I'll look around town, see if I can round up a few extra guns and give us better odds," dad said with not a movement towards the approaching guards.

The man in the coat averted his gaze to the fresh vegetables on the table for testing. He seemed to ponder a few fleeting ideas, as made evident by his twisting and turning of a potato. "Fine," he said, "I do suggest we take care of that tomorrow, though. It's gettin' to be late, and we can't be stumblin' around over there still sawin' log. Besides, I'm for thinkin' you have a few new faces to tell me about," he said and turned his attention towards out small social gathering. He offered a small grin to help ease the tension he had brought into the room.

"Ah," my father hesitated and turned back to me, "Well, uh, this is my son and his two friends."

"My, my, my," the man shook his head in mild amusement, "Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't he supposed to be in that ol' vault of yours? Must be a chip off the old block, not listenin' and such" he chuckled, prodding my father's similar exit from our home. The man strode over to me, confident as a person could be and thrust out his hand.

I stood up slowly and looked at it, but did nothing in response.

"Well? Ain't ya gonna shake hands, or do you not do that in the underground heaven? Course, sounds more like hell these days." he said.

I wanted to glance at my father for advice, as his change in attitude whenever the topic of his bodyguards arose had concerned me, but I couldn't find an inconspicuous way to do so. Instead, I mustered up my best poker face and took his hand firmly. I had wanted to speak with him, after all. "Paul."

"Your dad's said many things about you, my boy," he said and waved his index finger in the air, and returned the firmness with almost enough pressure to bring my hand discomfort, "Augustus Autumn, pleased to make your acquaintance.

* * *

 **Boy howdy. It's been a little while. Yes, I am still alive and I am still a square. I want to thank all you readers, favoriters (I don't think that's a word), followers, those of you who are gracious enough to leave a review for me to obsess over, and those of you who have done all four (you da real MVP) for sticking with this thing in spite of my Houdini like disappearances. Good things are coming (debatable) since we are getting closer and closer to the end of the first part of this story.**

 **If you squint your eyes...**

 **...You can almost see it...**

 **...Oh my...**

 **...Catch you guys and gals on the flipside...**


	23. On the River

Chapter Twenty-Three

On the River

 _~ September 12, 2277 ~_

A squeak from the turning faucet led to the last of the water dribbling from the shower head above. Moderately warm water was all I could ask for in Rivet City, which it delivered alongside an equally moderate amount of steam. Showers were one thing I considered all but lost to the societal shift that undoubtedly occurred once the smoke, rather, the _nuclear fire_ , cleared, but I had found it was only certain locales in the wastes that resisted bathing regularly. I, for one, dreaded every night that I had to sleep without being clean, but such is the way when you're trapped in a cell with others in a dilapidated prison placed firmly among the ruins of a dead city. Not to mention scavenging in the last bastions of mutants in a museum dedicated to a history not many cared to remember.

Needless to say, bathing was a luxury I had never thought of until it was gone, which is what made that one instance all the more gratifying. It would have been relaxing as well, were it not for the remaining looming events of the day. Call it a bit of intuition, but I was confident that Dad did not make his way across the land just to settle back down in a leaky old boat. No, he had something he was pursuing, and something he still had not quite explained.

I smirked at the start of a new question to ponder. I found myself doing that constantly in those days, and I imagine if I would have taken some of the old monster films from the vault, I would have less time to do so. I guess the main difference in my endless pondering was that I now had the answer just a shout away.

But I didn't have all the answers, far from it actually. One big question stared at me in the condensation soaked mirror: myself. I didn't regret leaving the vault, especially since I had done so under the pretense of staring down a revolver. Life in the wasteland had been akin to a near-endless adrenaline rush from the moment I set foot on the dusty earth outside that wooden cave door, but at least I was alive. I was breathing. I had a chance to start again. Still, new seeds of worry had taken root in me. Dad obviously had a goal in the outside world, that much was evident by his hasty departure.

I didn't.

Not anymore, anyway. I found my dad and everything was supposed to be all happy dandy since the two of us were together again, like a happy family missing one-third of itself. But as soon as the dust settled, I found myself much like Ana: searching for a goal. The once blood crusted star of Lucas Simms lying in the bottom of my bag screamed that I already had a job, one that meant I did not belong in Rivet City. That was an uncomfortable thought. It would be a brand of luck like mine that would lead me on a wild goose chase halfway across the wasteland only to find that my true purpose existed far away from the end of my first goal. Because of this, I placed the notion in a mental box and shoved it into a comfortable mind corner labeled, "things I pretend don't exist."

It's a very crowded place, let me tell you, but the things stored there can be deafening when they wish to b, deafening indeed.

Besides, so many things had happened since Lucas Simms shoved the gold star into my hand while his last resting place closed in on him. Perhaps he had been too quick to judge my character, as I only cared about solving my own problems at the time. In a way, I still did. I didn't care one bit about ridding ourselves of the threat of Alistair Tenpenny and his explosion hungry grasp. I just wanted blood for blood. I didn't care about Three Dog's plight, either, and I cared even less about what he called the "Good Fight." Those were but obstacles on my long road to reunite with my escaped father, and nothing more. I could easily deny any claims to be a hero, as I was not one.

What I couldn't deny was how Simms' death had resonated with me. Something about the way he stood alone against an uncertain world had stuck in my head for quite a while, but in equal measure, I couldn't help but wonder if I was to blame for his death. I tended to believe that I was not, as neither of us could've expected Mr. Burke to snap the way he did, but had we considered things a bit longer, Simms may have still been patrolling the dusty streets of Megaton in his ridiculous attire. Another chilly thought whispered for me to see the negativity in the world, how broken and rotten to the core the nukes had made it, and to retaliate. To this, I listened, and it led to an old man lying dead on the floor of his own home. What a talent to have, vengeance. It was truly shameful that I jumped to such measures without considering an alternative.

I rubbed my hands across the slightly prickly surface of my chin. The face staring back at me from the reflective world seemed unimpressed at my musing. Yet another thing I had to get accustomed to. I still looked largely the same, but a few finer facial details had changed. One in specific being the whites of my eyes and their slight discoloration, two being the tone and texture of my skin, three being the smoothed surface that once sprouted dusky hair. It wasn't a bad look if I do say so myself, but it was enough to give me quite a start when caught a glimpse of myself and the ridiculous whitened hair I had for the precious little time before. Among other changes, it was preferable to the height difference, which caused my head much distress when I approached doorway too low to simply walk under.

But I couldn't concern myself with the superficial changes, not when it ran much deeper. I wouldn't have admitted it then, but Ana was as accurate with her prodding as she was with her rifle. Something in me had changed without warning but made its presence known with a gargling shout and insatiable hunger. The inhibition I had felt when faced with the decision of ending a life had virtually disappeared, and something more sinister had begun to sprout. I pushed it down with all my might, hoping that it was just a phase, just something that I was misunderstanding, but I knew. My body was not the only thing to become like the ogres prowling about the ruins. The new lust inside of me ran soul deep, and it was slowly infecting what untainted part remained. Although I, in all my strength and wisdom, had silently resolved to contain it forever and to lock it in the cage and throw away the key, I knew that I needed to allow it some satisfaction. It was too much for me to hold in forever.

It's unfortunate, really. The thing is that hunger doesn't go away on its own. It just adds up to desperation when left unchecked and unabated. Desperation leads to fury, and when immersed in anger for so long, one finds themselves learning to hate. Desperation was all too familiar to me, and anger had recently become its neighbor. All they needed to do was arrange a meeting and produce their vile offspring.

* * *

For one reason or another, most people of Rivet City were a mix of demanding, uninterested or even hostile towards the hush-hush inner workings of the science lab. It didn't take long for me to catch wind of the rumors about the supposed "experiments" conducted inside the confines of the metal room. Some were benevolent, such as finding new methods of growing plants in irradiated soil through genetic modification, while others claimed that plants were not the only genetic modifications happening under the watchful, if not scrutinizing, eyes of the surly head of the lab.

As far as I could tell by my first visit, only half of that rumor was true. There were a few strange looking plants, but nothing that suggested the scientists living in Rivet City were anything like Megaton's own Moira Brown. Still, with all the knowledge that the collective members of the think-tank had, it was rarely approached by anyone with serious concerns, made evident by the amount of request for help finding a lost item or engineering a highly potent drug to subvert the need to buy as much. And by drug, I mean chem, of course. And I don't believe any of them pondered the thought that the price would reflect the new potency. Either way, my own request for help was certainly out of the ordinary as well.

Dr. Madison Li eyed me from behind the book she skimmed. Unimpressed glances and silence were typically how she greeted me when we first met, and how she greeted others who had done nothing to earn her respect. It wasn't due to a general distaste for human beings, but rather an outer manifestation of the inward turmoils that had plagued her for years.

"Gee, and here I was thinking that a half-mutant test subject walking in the door would be more thrilling than," I paused to read the cover of her book, "Whatever that is."

She closed the book, the sounds of the clapping pages sending an echo through the empty room. Madison sighed and placed it on the table next to her. "If you must know it's about a young boy who leaves his comfortable, safe life and drifts down the Mississippi on a raft, despite it being much better to stay at home. Sound familiar?"

"Not particularly, no. I haven't been on a raft unless you consider Rivet City to be one, and I doubt he was threatened with a gun on his way out," I said, pointing my fingers to resemble a weapon. "Besides, that's still a way to dodge my original question."

Madison's gaze narrowed at me, her face becoming a stern, demanding sneer. "I've already given you my answer. Asking me three times only minutes apart isn't going to change it. The fact of the matter is that I will not do any insane tests on you without James, er, your dad, knowing about it. I don't care that you're an adult. If anything, you still need someone to talk some sense into you, and he might be the only person who can, seeing as my explanations have fallen flat," Li stood up, patted the bottom of her lab coat, and turned the lamp off to leave me alone in the dark.

I growled as the click-clack of her steps went around the corner. I stomped through the dark and back into the light, not letting the conversation be ended that easily. "Look, I feel like I'm onto something, but in case it all goes wrong, I'd like for someone to be around that can help. Dad probably wouldn't like this idea..."

Madison turned around, obviously offended. "Exactly! He wouldn't. And so you come to me? What? Did you think I would say, 'of course, Paul, I'll just expose you to dangerous of radiation, more than enough to cause you serious, even lethal, amounts of damage, just to see how it all turns out?'" She rattled, arms crossed and feet planted as firm as her decision.

"That's the long and short of it, yeah. If it all goes to shit, you could just pump me full of radaway and use me as a new lamp until it kicks in. Problem solved, right?" I surmised, still eager to put my plan in motion.

My words surprising her, she let out an unbelieving huff and turned around to approach one of the many whirring machines in the lab. "Look, I'm not going to lie. I agree, you probably are on to something. Radiation probably affects you differently now, but your plan for finding out, frankly speaking, it's stupid," she said, "You and your father both are reckless as they come, never thinking about consequences or, or..." she stopped and took a deep breath to calm the rising anger, "I just can't take any chances."

"Sounds like you don't trust my dad any more than you do me," I replied, biting my tongue in the next moment. My big mouth and I can never agree on what is appropriate.

"Don't even start there," she snapped, finger pointed just under my chin, "I gave everything for your parent's work. All of us here did. Then James up and leaves like it's not important. Now, after twenty years, he walks right back through the door like nothing happened, that damned grin on his face again, asking for my help," she recounted, her voice a bitter hiss, "After he just left like it wasn't a big deal. Like none of it mattered. Like none of us mattered," Madison spat, growing quieter with every passing word. She planted her hands on the table in front of her, leaning over it for few moments and preferring silence over words. Beeps and dings signaled some sort of function was completed on the nearby device, and Dr. Li attended to it immediately, disconnecting cables and wires haphazardly.

"Alright, so I'm..." I began.

"So, yes," she interrupted, not diverting her attention away from the square device, "Maybe I don't entirely trust him anymore, and I don't entirely trust you. I'm not saying that I will never trust you, or him, just that I need some proof that the both of you aren't going to do the same thing if it gets tough," she explained, flicking a few switches on the machine in her hands then making an expression of surprise, "I can't afford to give up my life again without any tangible results. I won't."

I sank back, somewhat ashamed at striking a nerve with her. It was clear that she had been close to my father many years ago since his departure had left her so bitter, yet I decided to open old wounds. There I was, waltzing in like I owned the place and asking to conduct some tests that, in hindsight, could've been very dangerous.

"Besides," she started with no pressing from me, "I don't even know what on earth he's doing with those three bodyguards of his," she added, pushing another button down on the device, "First it was the Brotherhood of Steel and their mess, now it's these mercenaries or whatever they call themselves. I don't like any of them, especially that big lummox that stomps around like he owns the place."

"Dad had the Brotherhood watching his back before?" I asked becoming interested in both the past events and not so much the item Dr. Li was invested in.

"Trying to get me to gossip, huh?" she said, voice nothing more than a monotone expulsion of words, "Well then, yes. We had them guarding the Jefferson Memorial back then. It was an awful idea, working with those tribalistic hoarders. Ha!" she exclaimed once she reached a particularly strong memory, "For all their pomp and advanced tech, they're still just a bunch of greedy raiders at the end of the day, no matter how squeaky clean they pretend to be."

"Seemed more like a military of some sort when I ran into them. Some woman was leading them. Sarah, I think it was? Lyons?" I remembered, closing one eye and looking upwards to aid in my recollection. I raised my arm and looked at the clock on my Pip-Boy. I still had time to spare.

"Oh, my. So you met the darling Sentinel of the Brotherhood?" Madison said, words carefully coated in sarcasm, "I'm sure she was _very_ friendly," she continued, dropping the device on the table and walking over to a cabinet.

"You've met her before?"

"Her and her father, Owyn. Or Elder Lyons, as they call him. Actually, though, he's probably getting up there in years, so that might not be so far off," she stated, then shook her head to refocus, "Anyway, he was the one who reached out to us when word got around about what we were doing. Said he wanted to offer us protection from the Super Mutants. But personally, I think he's an old snake. Always slithering all over, making these one-sided deals with people, then waiting for an opportunity to prop himself and the rest of the Brotherhood up like some blessed heroes. I've heard that's what got him cut off from the other chapters back west, and split their chapter out here in two," Dr. Li explained contemptibly. Not finding what she wanted, she closed the cabinet door forcefully.

"Can't even keep his own people in line and looking to build up an image to the outside. Guess priorities aren't his strong suit. Did he ever get one over on you and Dad?" I asked, finding myself intrigued by this "Elder Lyons."

Madison stopped working on the device, then groaned like I was a child too inquisitive for his own good. "I don't mean to come off as cold, but I really should keep working. I just don't have time to swap gossip with you all day. Maybe you could go find James and Augustus and get ready? I'm sure they're looking for you," she concluded, effectively brushing me off in just an instant. Dr. Li crossed her fingers, then pressed twisted a knob on the handheld machine. Crackling air and sparks of electricity shot up from the device and Doctor disappeared in a flash. All that was left was a shimmering, translucent figure where she once stood.

I stood there for a moment, startled by the sudden disappearance until she reappeared as if nothing had happened.

Dr. Li remained as dully expressive as usual.

"What in the heck was that?" I asked, scooting close to get a better look at the device, a deep fascination overtaking me.

"Well technically, it's just a stealth boy. Once activated, it renders the user mostly invisible by reflecting light around the field it generates. However, this one's a bit special since it can be recharged, and hold said charge for longer. About twenty to thirty minutes, actually," she explained, a faint hint of cheer peeking out. Li then looked down at the device, as if trying to burn a hole in it, then to me and my flabbergasted face. Then back to the device, then to me again, and smiled slightly. "Have you never used one of these before?"

"Nope. I kind of want to now, though," I said quickly, hoping for the best.

"Maybe one day you'll find one you can try," she responded, shattering my hopes for the second time in one day. She tapped the device with her index finger, then left to pursue other matters about the lab, leaving me amongst the symphony of machines.

I won't lie. I almost wanted to give it a try while she wasn't looking.

* * *

A blood and dirt-caked dog pawed at the soft dirt below it. A nose to the ground and another scratch pulled the dirt and brown, dead grass from its place. Without much thought, it devoured the small critters it dug up, and clumps of dirt with it. It mattered none to the animal, as its mind had long since degraded to little more than starvation. Another joined it, but before taking a bite of the now scattered scraps, it became faced with a new dilemma. Head lowered, gums raised and rotten, broken teeth showing fully; it growled low at the strangers, the humans, approaching their hunting ground.

The first shot from the tip of Augustus's rifle echoed through the morning air. The gentle fog was displaced by the screaming, bright projectile which buried itself in the neck of the unlucky hound in the distance, leaving little more than melted skin. Augustus narrowed his gaze at the dying animal, whimpering in confusion as hot, glowing ooze burned through its flesh, and the one beside it growling in fury. It would immediately find itself in the same situation that the other member of the pack. With a face cold as stone, yet masking a pity for a beast commonly called man's best friend, Autumn fired another spurt of green, glowing goop towards the charging animal. A fizzle and a pop were the last sounds it would make. Augustus drew up his rifle once again but in a shallow remorse.

"Something the matter, Augustus?" Dad asked, eyeing the now dissolving mass in front of us. He recoiled, as my father had never been one for violence or gory situations in general. He was a polar opposite of me, who had come to know it nearly every day.

Autumn sighed, "Could be I'm gettin' soft in my old age, but killin' dogs just seems to get to me more than it used to," he reflected grimly. The bodyguard lowered his gun and loosened professional stance, meaning an end to the short hostilities. "Always did have a soft spot for the damn things."

I smirked unconsciously at the peculiarity of his comment. "So a hardened old mercenary and his crack team of henchmen can melt a human with a plasma rifle, but can't put down a mad dog without feeling sorry for it?" A kick sent a pebble careening across the fractured asphalt ahead of us and against a rusty car. An angry scavenger, caked in dirt and no doubt reeking of alcohol that had been sleeping inside of it was awakened from his slumber and demonstrated the correct form of hand and finger when flipping someone off.

Morning sun peeked over the buildings and between the gray clouds to warm the somewhat chilly ground. The first cool winds of fall had begun to make their presence known, marking my first experience with a changing season. Strange that I had never considered wardrobe options for different seasons in my life, but found myself worried that a jacket wouldn't be enough. Silly, yes, especially since it was hardly colder than the vault.

Augustus frowned at my comment. "Just reminds me of the pup I had when I was just a boy. 'Sides, didn't see you takin' a shot, now did I, son?" Augustus raised one eyebrow and would deign to give me only a short glance from the side. He removed a small timepiece from his breast pocket, and upon seeing an undesirable time, he then made a motion to his cohorts.

A scuff of boots came from behind me. Josef stumbled over a dip in the ground and coughed once or twice in response to the thick, musty smell left by the burned air. "Probably would've missed," he added, speaking out of the side of his mouth and nudging me in the ribs.

Another insult, although one meant with no malice. Either way, I had heard it many times before, and it grew less amusing each time. "Is it me, or are you starting to sound a bit like Ana?" I retorted, making observance of our absent friend, "Either way, would it be too much to ask for you to give me a break?" I requested. Finding the hat to be chafing my bald head, I removed it and gave a hearty scratch.

"Up your accuracy and then we'll talk, Paulie-boy," he said. Josef patted my shoulder and gave me an insincere grin.

I took that as a definite "no," to my request and decided to drop the conversation. A conversation was the only occupying activity I was able to indulge in at the moment, though. We still had a bit of walking before we reached the Jefferson Memorial and the reveal of my father's work. Abundant gray roads and charred rubble had a way of making even the calmest of mornings appear dreary and unlikable, even with the cloudless sky, stained blue with varying deepness in the brisk seasonal changes.

If anything, it aided me in feeling like the morning was a waste now that we were marching towards danger. Whatever was at the Memorial must've been immensely important to Dad, as he insisted that he and Augustus's team proceed there as soon as possible to take care of the mutant threat. Still, it was not like they needed any convincing. For bodyguards with no ties other than keeping Dad alive, which would be made harder by diving headfirst into a den of Supers, they were eerily eager to go. One would think that they would show at least some worry about the situation, but it was more or less a distant appreciation for the danger.

Perhaps it was confidence gained from a man dragged through decades of bloody combat, who had faced down death itself and left with the scars to show for all his troubles.

But in the end, Dad didn't manage to round up anyone to help us, bringing our chances, and numbers, lower than I felt comfortable with.

Six people. That was all we had. There was Josef, no stranger to the risk posed by one mutant alone, and hinting at the idea he'd like to be paid for this adventure despite my irritation. Then there was my dad, who had not displayed prowess in the way of battle, and was most likely going to avoid it if possible. The heavy hitters were Autumn and his two men, Linwood and Warren, who acted on his orders alone and rarely spoke out of turn. Evidence of their experience was worn on their bodies, Linwood's being mostly on his face by the large burn mark starting from his chin and continuing to the left side of his face.

Warren was a beast of a man, dwarfing even me, but he spoke as gently as possible. His voice was often but a whisper though it conveyed the power to match his size. A literal embodiment of "speaking softly and carrying a big stick." Each step he took was a stomp, and I hadn't a doubt in my mind that he would prefer to do battle up-close and personal, made evident by the large, rocket-propelled hammer he effortlessly wielded. It was not unlike the one Sarah Lyons had used but was distinctly bulkier, crafted with the hands of a being to rival the size of a super mutant in mind. Still, for all his gentleness, he did not smile nor did he show any expression of a benevolent giant.

Linwood, on the other hand, was nowhere near as large or unsettling. He was strong and weathered, yes, and with an expression of a soldier that meant business. Oftentimes, he would speak in sentences constructed with a surprising thoughtfulness, something lacking in common wastelanders thinking only of loot and explosions, which I took to mean that he had received some formal education. From where I couldn't imagine, but knowing the multiplication tables, as useful as they are, was going to make little difference to any enemies we may encounter. Several pistols hung on the bandolier encircling his body, and one automatic rifle was gripped close to his body at all times while another hung on his back. He was no pack mule, but rather a man who would open many avenues which he could take.

I, though, can't imagine why someone would carry so many guns. I hardly had enough time to use the one shotgun I had but to each his own. Last, and perhaps least, was me. I, being new to the wasteland, but as Augustus insisted, "making up for lack of experience in moxie," counted.

Ana was not going to be present for our venture. She assured us that it was her leg being incredibly sore, thus putting her at greater risk than the rest of us, and preventing her from being as effective as usual, but the unease in her voice was thinly veiled behind a guise of false courage. Her phobia of super mutants was ever growing and clearly, it had gotten the best of her on that particular day. I couldn't blame her, and in fact began to wonder why I was not in her position considering that I suffered the most from our previous run-in. In fact, some sensible part of me, faint as it was, wanted to give a similar reason as to why I couldn't join the crew as well, despite reassuring myself that I was an asset in my own way.

The day was still young, though, and doubts of my ability had already begun to chatter. Yes, I had killed three super mutants on my own, but I had also found myself outmatched by one only a couple of days after. Something had been different just after my mutation, but I still hadn't the foggiest idea of what it could've been, only that it did not last until we returned to the Mall. I had felt stronger, faster, and somehow more instinctive, but found myself feeling sluggish and heavy as time passed. Besides, it didn't help that I had no idea what the Jefferson Memorial had in store for me or our group, and I could only hope it would be simpler than we anticipated. There was little time to ponder the nuances of my changed genetics.

A domed building sat perched on the shore far across the Tidal Basin: the Jefferson Memorial, our destination. A bridge, cracked in the middle and collapsing into the basin, stretched over the depths over to the stained, once-white structure. The slowly rippling water, disturbed by creatures beneath the surface, large and small, splashed as we walked along the banks. The mist lifted up around us while the sun did the same, solemn rays peeking through the gray sky to light only the places worthy. The musty scent of the growing algae and the other earthen substances wafted into my nostrils. I looked out across the expanse, marveling at such a large body of water.

It was unlike anything I had seen before, and it was both soothing and exhilarating. The push and pull, ebb and flow proceeded rhythmically, with neither a man nor a woman to tell it how to do so, and never failed to do so. One's imagination could run wild in such a featureless, yet eye-catching phenomenon, as mine did. A display of basic physics, indeed, but no less intriguing when the most water I had seen in a place was when the toilets overflowed in the metal tomb he called home.

A crunch on the rocky shore from behind me signaled an approach. Linwood, stern and calm, turned his mystified gaze from me to the soft waters ahead. "Sobering, isn't it?" Linwood said, his voice low and reverent. He took a step closer to the edge, crouched down and looked down at his reflection in the liquid mirror, a slight, reserved grin growing across his face. He dipped the tips of his fingers into the water, shifting the scum growing on the edge. He muttered a few words to himself, then pulled his hand free. Linwood flicked his fingers haphazardly to dry them, "Such serenity is rare," he observed.

I nodded. "Yeah. I guess you could say that. 'Course, some of that rarity feels like my doing," I laughed to myself, standing up as well.

Linwood offered a humorless laugh in response. "It's what all of us are like, purely by choice," he said. Embarrassment soon took the place of his somber inward reflection. "Ah, forgive my wistfulness!" he said, eyes widened, "It's just that I once found myself staring out at the ocean when I was a child, knowing my life was forever being changed. My home, my people, my mother, and father, all vanishing in a flash of light because of one man. I, however, was taken away to watch the destruction from a distance," he stated. His shoulders dropped, his mouth was drawn and fists clenched in response to the memories. He tightened his grip, then loosened, then tightened, pulsating the muscles in his hands as if trying to let go yet wanting to hold on. "It's always a reminder to me, of who I am. Who I strive to be, rather, and what I hope to accomplish, in spite of where I came from," he recalled, once again recoiling at his openness. "There I go again, rattling off to a stranger about my life's troubles. I apologize."

I looked at him, bewildered. To be so heartfelt was not what had I expected of a grizzled bodyguard traveling the wasteland. "Good God. If a bunch of water does this to you I'd hate to see what a strong drink would do," I responded.

"Perhaps if I were a drinker then we might find out," he chuckled. A fist made, pressed behind his back and the other hand adjusting a hanging pistol, Linwood seemed to ground himself in the reality he was now faced with. Letting the past remain in its place, he made a small motion with his hand to signal that we needed to rejoin the group, unless, as he put it, "the speed-walking Augustus Autumn leave us to the plasma riddled dogs."

* * *

"Alright, Augustus, how are we going to approach..." Josef began, then peered over our cover at the hulking mutants patrolling the grounds. Fearful of being spotted, he lowered his head once again, "That?"

Augustus placed his hands on the crumbling wall and pulled himself up to get a clearer view of the area. He traced back and forth, taking in as much detail as his mind would allow in such short time, then dropped down again. "There's a good many wanderin' around down here. Three as far as I can tell. Two more are at the bottom of the steps, lookin' out at the water like a couple of damn tourists, and I'm sure there' some at the top, in the rotunda," he explained, hands drawing their positions in the dirt. "Alright, men, we're going to wait just a moment here," he glanced once more over cover, then back to the dirt map, "And once the other two get far enough 'round back," he curved a line around the circle in the middle of the map, "Linwood, you'll take the one here," he drew a line through one close in our path, "Quiet as ya can. Then, you get your ass in gear and set the charges up. Warren, you're going to knock the two sightseer's heads off, send 'em to the bottom of th' basin. I'll be right behind you."

A nearby grumbling mutant coughed and swatted a tiny bloatfly to the ground, crushing it beneath his feet. Augustus once again took a peek at their locations and was pleased to see where they were headed. "James, you and your son stay with me. Josef, you keep an eye out for anything we miss. Don't pull no punches, either."

"And if things go south?" Josef asked, readying his SMG and preparing for our move.

Augustus readied his plasma rifle, and let the green goop well up inside of it. "If things get hairy, we fall back to the bridge, behind the cars we passed, and make a stand," he drew a line in the dirt to represent the bridge leading back across the waterway. Augustus lowered his eyebrows, and stared intently at all of us, "By then, I'm hoping Lin's got some explosives to cover our retreat, and if not..." he trailed off, leaving us to imagine the worst scenario, "Any questions? Didn't think so. Let's give 'em hell, boys," he muttered as Linwood and Warren split in two directions.

Linwood took the lead and moved fluidly across the ground. He took care not to step on anything that would cause excessive noise and did so all while keeping his gaze firmly locked on the hapless mutant crushing the mushy remnants of bloatfly. A small thin blade was pulled silently from one of the many pouches on his chest rig and spun around dexterously.

Augustus motioned for my father and me to begin following him, just as Linwood inserted the blade into the back of the mutant's neck. A cough and a short gurgle escaped but was drowned out by the ambiance as he crumpled to the ground. I could see him still struggling to move, but most of his body would not respond. Linwood knelt down and looked the ogre in the face, somewhat remorsefully, then dragged the knife across his throat, deeply and slowly. As soon as the last breath escaped from the mutant, he placed one charge in his position, then hurried to another.

Augustus turned back, looking for an all clear from Josef, who nodded silently.

Warren did not care for the lack of noise and instead brushed past us with his super sledge balanced on his shoulder with a single hand, feet stomping all the while. Whether dumbly or bravely, Warren proceeded into the open, free from all cover towards the mutant duo ahead of him. Upon seeing one of them move, he lowered himself, hand clenching the hammer tightly, and rushed at them. A mighty swing shattered one mutant's legs and bought him to the ground. The other had barely enough time to turn his rifle at Warren, who gripped the barrel of it confidently, then brought the super sledge down on the mutant's arms. All hope of a silent assault was lost at that point, as both freaks began to howl like animals at their attacker. Warren slammed his heavy foot on the crippled mutie's head, then swung at the torso of the other. The mutant fell back, a sudden, uncontainable, feral rage overtaking him in response to the pain and helplessness he was feeling. With no use of his arms, he opted to ram Warren with all his weight, but the burly bodyguard was unshaken. Warren held the super sledge with both hands, activated the rocket on the tip, and caught the mutant on the side once again, crushing his body with a tremendous force. He spiraled into the murky depths below, just as a few emerged from the building atop the stairs.

Linwood stopped running about for a moment, raised his rifle immediately and opened fire on the advancing muties. A storm of bullets planted themselves in or otherwise ricocheted off the architecture, the burning smell filling the air in competition with the foul odor of mutants. One gave Linwood a toothy grin and a sadistic chuckle, obviously underestimating the situation he was about to be placed in. Due to the isolated nature of the Memorial, he was no doubt excited for the first action, and perhaps new loot for their gathering. The next and final emotion he would feel was horror as a round shattered his teeth and ripped through the back of his throat. Augustus stood up and also fired upon them, just as a few of the most disgusting beings I have ever seen came into view.

"Centaurs headin' your way, Warren!" Augustus shouted as the chubby appendages of the grotesque beings carried them across the uneven terrain with ease. One took a moment to look at the shouting commander but found his response an unsatisfactory spurt of green ooze. The other centaur padded towards Warren with speed unfitting of its build, the tentacles pouring from its human-like face slinging a vomit like substance over the area. "Linwood, get it set up!" He shouted to the fleet-footed guard, who ceased fire and once again began to run about the battlefield.

"Paul! Need your help back here, buddy!" Josef shouted as the two mutants that had been patrolling around the back of the memorial returned from the same side they had followed. Both carried automatic rifles and began to fire at us. Josef dove to the ground, just around the bend and somewhat protected by the rounded foundation of the building. It wouldn't last, though, as the mutants continued to advance. He fired blindly at them, a minimal amount of bullets finding their targets while the rest flew to parts unknown.

I ran towards a bit of rubble, shotgun held close, heart beating out of my chest as it dawned on me that we were being surrounded. Cowardly instincts pressured me to escape the lethal situation while the thunderous sounds of combat fought for my ear. Still, my better instincts screamed louder than both, demanding that I fight with all I had because my Dad and Josef were in danger as well. I let out a war cry and squeezed the trigger. The Chihuahua woofed and shells entered the fray. A total misfire, but it did distract them enough to interrupt their fire.

Augustus unleashed three bursts of plasma on them. Only one connected, but immediately buried itself in the car-piece armor protecting the mutie's torso. He screamed and swatted at the burning substance, only succeeding in burning the flesh from his hand. Josef, quick as a flash, rolled across the ground and behind his own cover.

"Move over, son!" Dad shouted as he joined me behind our measly rubble wall. His shaking hands tried to reload his revolver but dropped the final bullet. I grabbed it before it even touched the ground and handed it back to him. A clanking a sound and a boom were the next two sounds to join the cacophony as dad twisted his body and fired at whatever was tall, yellowish-greenish and angry. While Dad dropped back down again, searching for any remaining ammunition on his person, a small, circular object sailed through the air and landed just between my legs.

" _Fuck,_ " I thought. My heart stopped, but my mind didn't as I grabbed the ticking ball and hurled it back where it had come from. Dad grabbed my head and pushed my face into the dirt as the grenade exploded midair.

Ears ringing and head throbbing, I looked back over our cover to see if anyone was unintentionally harmed by the blast, and found only the sloppy remains of mutant gore spread in a singular direction.

Josef leaped over his cover. Dad and I reacted similarly and rushed back into the action in hopes of overtaking our enemies, but stopped short when the remaining mutants poured from the memorial and onto the battlefield. I had no time to count exactly, but I saw at least another ten, all fighting and cackling about the "easy meal" that had wandered into their nest.

Warren stepped back from the now-sloppy remains of the Centaur, whooping and laughing like a child as he swung his hammer about wildly, twirling it this way and that, clashing with another super mutant. As he caught a glimpse of the crowd, his glee faded, and he sprinted back in our direction. Atop the stairs, a mirror image of the mutant leader in Germantown stepped out, towering over the others. Fearful glances at him from the other mutants contorted faces only seemed to feed his blood lust as he hoisted his weapon of choice above his head: a minigun. With a cry, he renewed the other's morale and leveled the heavy weaponry at our collective positions.

A hum that still sends chills up my spine today was audible to all of us as the massive barrel began to rotate, only seconds remaining before the storm was going to hit.

"Everyone! Fall back!" Augustus shouted as he backed away from the conflict, gun still firing to suppress the advance. Warren gave one more swing in his retreat, severing a mutant pursuer's head and turning it into nothing more than a mushy, bloody orb hurtling through the air. An endless rattling came from the minigun as the onslaught began, at last, riddling the landscape and discarded corpses of his mutant brothers with rounds upon rounds. I found my cover rapidly disappearing under the destructive force being sent to us and gathered my courage to make a run in the other direction. Linwood rushed by us, grabbing Dad by the collar and hoisting him to his feet but leaving me to fend for myself.

I clawed at the ground to regain my footing without any time to be angry about Linwood's lack of care towards me as Josef accelerated to catch up to us, the mutant master showing no signs of relenting. My friend began to outrun me, but I was determined to not be left for the hungry monsters chasing me, shooting at me. The rest of the group had already begun to cross the bridge and take their place behind the broken down cars, while Josef and I were just beginning to cross.

Josef let out a shout, and I immediately feared the worst. "Son of a fuck!" he spat, clutching his forearm, blood running down to his wrist and dripping off his fingertips. I began to slow, and upon seeing this, he focused on me. "I'm alright, man, just keep running or we're both dead as a doornail!" he shouted as the pursuing mutants had reached the other end of the bridge. "We're just about..."

Without warning, the earth moved. Harsh sounds of gunfire were silenced by a deep, thunderclap missing the lightning but lacking none of its horrifying glory. The ground shook in such a manner I had believed that the world was coming to an end once again and a monstrous fireball erupted from the battlefield. A powerful wind blew from behind, sending any smaller rocks and objects hurtling through the air and causing them to strike the back of my legs as I continued to run. I could feel the intense heat bearing down on my back like the summer sun returned for a moment. Due to the quaking, I almost lost my balance, but miraculously stayed upright and still moving. A dust cloud blew from around the corner and enveloped us just as we reached the cars, shrapnel raining down on us as we covered ourselves as much as humanly possible. I shut my eyes just as all view was obscured by the prevailing dust cloud that filled my lungs and burned my throat, then dropped to the ground as a last resort. Winds howled and whipped over me, lessening as the lengthy seconds ticked by.

Then, as quickly as it had happened, all fell silent. Bits of shrapnel continued to drop from above as the cloud began to disperse, albeit slowly and landed on the roadside. The only sounds were the residual echoes shooting across the landscape, and of course, that damnable ringing in your ears that accompanies explosions. I pressed my palms against the ground, groaning as I tried to bring myself back to my feet. My arms were soft and gelatinous, as were my legs. Neither wanted to exert the usual strength that had accompanied them but preferred to shake and rattle as if I were in sub-zero temperatures. I coughed again and tried in vain to remove the dust from my eyes, not realizing that I was covered from head to toe in it. Instead of continuing my struggle to stand up, I simply rolled over to my back and stared up at the sky. After such intensity, things had once again returned to serenity.

Josef was sprawled out on the ground next to me, flabbergasted at what he had just experienced. His eyes were wide open, mouth agape and looking skyward, just as I was. "Hey, we're still living, right?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the clouds above. His voice was still barely audible.

"Nah," I responded, hardly raising my voice to accommodate the undertone of ringing, "I think that just did us in. Any minute now, we'll be knock, knock, knockin' on Heaven's door." Once again, I tried to rise to my feet, succeeding this time.

"I get the feeling they ain't letting us in," he remarked, still flat on the ground. He formed a fist, each finger taking turns uncurling slowly. Next, his face contorted as he remembered the pain in his arm. "And if they aren't, you think your dad could take a look at this?"

"Paul! Josef! Are both of you alright?" Dad called out, pulling himself over the cars and back onto the open bridge, a single stimpak in hand for Josef. Relief seemed to wash over him as he saw the both of us, lively and moving.

"Yeah, Dad!" I answered, turning to face him, then being cut short by the sudden change on his face.

Pale. Horrified. And looking directly past me.

The humming began once again as Dad reached out to grab me. He was too slow, as Warren had done the same to him, hoisting him back behind the cars before he knew what had happened. I knew what was coming, and as time slowed, I eyed my one option. Josef had already moved to the cars, but I was not going to make it. As the first volley of bullets began to speed towards me, I leaped from the side of the bridge and into the water just below it.

Cold water surrounded me in an instant as I crashed through the surface of the water, chilling me like nothing I had felt before, and it dawned on me that I had only the faintest idea of how to swim. I began to sink, having no idea how to move in the restricting fluid. Kicking my legs wildly seemed to yield no results as I only sat below the surface, a deep darkness closing in around me as I found myself running out of oxygen much quicker than I had anticipated. The choking void only seemed to grow deeper with each passing second, my hope falling into the abyss as well. Water began to seep into my nostrils, and I knew that if I inhaled it would be my last time doing so. All feeling was being sapped away, my once boundless energy depleted, rendering me a feeble mess, sinking deeper and deeper.

But sometimes one can learn best in times of crisis, like the young birds who are pushed from the nest. As they are faced with a choice of either flying or falling, I too was faced with a choice to sink or swim. But I found my instinct of flight was beginning to wane in light of recent events and was being overpowered by a desire to fight, so I indulged once again. I don't know if it was by miracle, human intuition, or by a desire to live that wouldn't subside driving me to do as many had done before me, I began to move my limbs all in a similar fashion. Still, weakness had gripped me, attempting to drag me like a cement block to the bottom of the drink.

Then, as I drew nearer to the surface, a strange tingling sensation rippled across my body. Every muscle went numb, then burned all at once as I regained a slight amount of strength. The light above me grew brighter, brighter, then blinding as I broke through to the open air once again. I gasped and sucked in any air I could get, my lungs aching and insides hot as flame. The endless assault of the mutant master was still ongoing, and I knew what had to be done. I clumsily paddled to the sharp incline of the shore and pulled myself up. I took about a moment to regain rest, breathing still heavy and painful, but there was little time to do so. The mutant master was not going to show mercy to them and was likely furious at their brazen trap. I jammed my fingers into the smallest divots in the wall. With what returning strength I had, I climbed to the rocky buildup, and onto the other side of the bridge, where the battlefield had been ravaged and left as little more than a crater, smoke still rising as the fires burned. The ticking from the Geiger counter on my Pip-Boy was rapid and maddening and growing even quicker.

There, back turned and obsessively firing the endless stream of ammunition in retaliation, was the mutant.

"Easy," I muttered to myself as I approached, shotgun held at the ready and my ego unchecked. It seemed all too easy to simply blast the mutant to pieces before he even knew what was happening, but I had forgotten who exactly I was and the kind of luck I could expect. The first shot fired off quite easily, but the next squeeze of the trigger yielded no results.

Undeterred by the massive amount of blood loss that was happening, the mutant began to turn around, ceasing his fire. I pulled the trigger again, and still nothing.

Then pain and blackness.

I hit the ground and rolled a few times, loose dirt being pushed up as I skidded to a stop. My head throbbed as I regained my senses, the mutant ready to bring down the massive barrel down on me. In an instant, and in desperation, I held my hands out in front of me. With a thud, the weapon fell into my hands. Unfortunately, my body was being crushed under the weight of the mutant's strike, even though I pushed up with all my might. My arms felt like giving in, every single muscle from the tips of my fingers to my lower back boiling and my face growing hot and red.

"I smell you!" he shouted, bringing his foot to my side and sending me sliding away once again, "You are half! Unclean!" he insulted as he leaped into the air in hopes of smashing me into nothing but dust.

A flash of fury.

I slid myself out of the way and rose to my feet in an instant as he crashed into the ground. I leaped as high as I was able, and grabbed onto his neck. His head thrashed back and forth, teeth gnashing and thick globs of saliva coating my face as I removed one hand. Enormous hands beat me, grabbed me and yanked back, but I wasn't about to give up as I buried my thumbs directly into his eye-sockets. He stumbled backward, hatefully screaming gibberish that meant nothing to me. I let go, leaving the now blinded mutant to reel in pain and sprinted for the only viable weapon near; his.

I had no idea how to use it properly, yet I still lifted the massive weapon and turned it against its owner. I squeezed a few places on the weapon, but to no avail. Finally, I found the trigger. My own inexperience combined with the force of the rounds leaving in such at such a dizzying pace caused me to miss the first volley, but I refocused and held it steady. What wasn't covered by armor was shredded mercilessly by the onslaught. Final roars joined my enthused shouts of destructive madness while feral threats were released, but none would hinder my decisive move. Moments later, the remaining mutant on the battlefield was nothing more than fleshy remains and assorted gore lined with torn metallic armor. Crackling fires dying out due to lack of fuel burned into nothing but embers while the subtle breeze blew the last bits of smoke and debris floating in the air towards new resting places. The numerous craters across the grounds, black as soot, held the only signs of the super mutant encampment, some being deep enough to act as a grace to bury the beasts in.

Finding a moment of reprieve, at last, I dropped the gun and sat down on the scorched ground. Heat still emanated from the freshly burned dirt, but that didn't stop the quietness of the first moments after the battlefield from being any more appreciated.

"Well heck, boy!" Augustus shouted, stepping off the bridge and onto the battle scarred remnants of the locale, "You're a mean one, ain't ya? I figured you had bought the farm at that one, taking on one of those bastards by yourself."

I shook the water off my Pip-Boy, misplacing my worries about the resistance of the arm-mounted computer. "Just about did for two reasons. I probably should've learned to swim before now, but hindsight is twenty-twenty."

Augustus gazed on as if he were waiting for a punchline that didn't exist. The whistling wind blew by in the same way my words had passed him by. A confused smile formed, then grew. Finally, he chuckled pitifully. "God didn't give you a lick of sense, did He?" Autumn commented, reaching his hand out to pull me up. "Oh well. Guess putting some fight in ya was enough," he continued, then looked down and shook his head, still finding something funny in my reactionary assault, "Couldn't even swim!" he laughed, "Look I've seen some impulsive people in my day," he pointed two fingers at my face, "but never none of 'em were as thick-headed as you."

I grabbed his wrist and was pulled to my feet. "Yeah, yeah. Got it. But next time you decide to blow up everything in a seventy-five-foot radius, give me a heads up so I don't have to think on my feet?"

"The plan went off without a hitch, son. Plenty of warning. You and the merc were just too slow," Autumn retorted with a slap on my back and hand signal for the others to hurry up. "And next time, I'll make sure to blow it up while you're still lookin' at it. That way, you can enjoy the spectacle before you give up the ghost," he jeered, then pointed to the once-living beast's weapon, "Warren, you take that Rockwell and secure the perimeter. Linwood and I'll stick here and wait for the clear."

Warren responded wordlessly, but nodded and approached the minigun. Without a single step misplaced, he grabbed the weapon firmly and hoisted the metal box first and fastened it to his body. The added weight did not seem to bother his pace, as he still moved with the same long strides as before, just with much more firepower.

Autumn watched as the lumbering giant left our party, brow a straightened line and mouth drawn into a long frown. "Now, I know you're probably all eager to take a load off after all that, but we still got to make sure it's safe. Ain't even touched the interior yet, either, so keep ready," he nodded his head to the small, greasy, and dirt covered door on the side of the foundation of the memorial, "For any more of them to come bargin' out. When Warren gets back, the three of us are going in."

"The three of us, meaning?" Dad asked, face manifesting his skepticism.

"Linwood, Warren and I, of course. Hope ya'll packed some Rad-X like I did, cause you three are staying out here where it's safer. Close quarters in there, and the more bodies we have, the more you'll just get in the way," Autumn stated matter-of-factly. He twisted his rifle around and removed the battery from its compartment, then tossed it to the ground. The plasma weapon ceased its spectacular, green glow and seemed to cool almost immediately. Casual as he would have been in his own home, Augustus removed another battery from a small package and inserted it into the empty compartment, slammed it shut and let the glow return. "Nothin' personal, it's just that I trust my boys more than I do the three of you, right now. They're broke in, you could say."

"I see," Dad conceded. It didn't take much to see how he tensed up, or how his fists balled tight enough to turn his knuckles white, but for what reason I wasn't sure, "Just be careful when you reach the control room. If there are any in there then it doesn't need any more damage done to it than it already has."

Augustus waived him off, keeping his eyes on the door while Warren's figure peeked from the side opposite to our position. But even I could see past his dismissive gesture and to the dissatisfaction Dad's comment unearthed. "Believe me, James, I don't want to break things any more than you do," he replied as if the words pained him. He held one hand up to Warren, who returned the signal without hesitation. "My superior and I, we've already lost too much. Our homes, our families, hell, even our identity. We've..." he trailed off, then seemed to lose his place for a moment, "...come so far for our people to set things right," he muttered, voice not above a low droll, "So trust me when I say that as far as chances go" Augustus placed one hand in his pocket, removing the small timepiece and giving it a look, "It means more to me than you know," he continued, getting lost in the passing of time and squeezing the clock like it was the last time he would see it tick.

But it ticked on.

And on.

As he watched.

And was watched.

* * *

 **And this is where I'd put my excuses...IF I HAD SOME!**

 **This might be the longest chapter so far, but don't quote me on that.**

 **But, oh well. Hello! Welcome back to the part of the show where I add a few spicy ramblings and a pinch of _REVIEW BEGGING™_. So we're getting VERY close to some parts that I've been waiting on for a while. I feel bad for the story being slow right now (not that it hasn't always been that way), but I guess the deeper the valley the higher the mountain peak. At least we got some action this chapter. Been a while. Yeah. Felt good. Some more will happen eventually.**

 **So I'm a bit curious about what you, dear, sweet, LOYAL (so loyal. * _sniff*_ Brings a tear to my eye) readers think of old man Autumn. I hate to spoil things, but I'm pretty much free-styling on his character right now since Bethesda didn't give us much beyond being a Colonel and a trench coat wearing hate-bag. Clearly, I like shoving my own characters into the story and leaving the canonical ones largely untouched in terms of characterization (which bothers someone out there, I'm sure), so Autumn's one of the first in this adventure to actually get the full treatment. I know one chapter isn't really enough to write an award winning character arc, but maybe I've sparked some curiosity in you about him and his reasoning.  
**

 **And, fingers crossed, maybe someone will notice not just the elephant in the room, but catch the big, honking elephant stomping around the room and eating all the peanuts here. You may even be thinking, "But, Square-boy! Why doesn't *BLANK* just** ***BLANKITY*** ***BLANKITY*** ***BLANK*?!"**

 **Answer: YES.  
**

 **Thanks for reading, and until next time, ladies and gentlemen, I bid you adieu.**


	24. Stay

Chapter Twenty-Four

Stay

~ September 12, 2277 ~

Carnage may be the only single word in my vocabulary to accurately describe the aftermath. It was as if the universal tables had been turned on the unsuspecting mutants and they had found themselves caught in a trap, not the other way around as they were used to. They had neither numbers nor tactics to overcome the tsunami that ravaged their abode, not a warning siren to speak of. And if the smell wasn't already bad enough then the one left after the thought would overpower the former. Indiscernible scents mingled with the discernible, those being scorched stone, plastics, and bodies and rotten leftovers. Germantown, dank and choking as it may have been, skeletal architecture notwithstanding, was a sight most beautiful in comparison. The faintest of green hues remained on the walls underneath the squelching masses lining the chipped paint made barely visible under the dimmed fluorescent lights. A haze leftover by the conflict hung just below the ceiling, doing very little to mask the broken hallway corners and flickering embers of misplaced laser fire.

But the worst was the three men standing among the wreckage. One larger than the rest, a demented lust for battle waning but present, exuded by a satisfactory grin and claimed his prizes from the fallen. The same greed for battle was commonplace among the same abominations whose presence he had all but erased, but it found a new host within him. Another revealed himself and stepped lightly over what the beast behind next to him hadn't devastated. Acceptance was the only thing he could emote for the outcome and would do so by kneeling and searching for any signs of fading life. He would find none. Dirtying his fingers was not a worry since they had already been dredged in the filth around him. Yet another, jaw squared, feet firmly on the ground among the tangled multitude, did nothing but count the seconds that continued to tick away. One of the pillars supporting the monument would have felt intimidated by the immovable man if they could gain self-awareness. Whether it was a drop or a deluge, he made no effort to note the scene but seemed to take it in as a familiar aspect of life. Such wanton violence unnerved him little as it was his identity.

It was their heritage.

That's not to forget that Augustus was never more than a moment away from letting us know how little he enjoyed putting down the hulking beings. But his attitude leaned towards viewing it as a bothersome chore, rather than a massacre. "All I can hope is that we got the whole damn nest," said Autumn as lifted one of the mutant's arms up for a moment, pried his fingers off the hand-grenade and tossed it to Linwood, "More of 'em could be skulking around the ruins nearby, so I say we ought to drag what's left of these in here and burn it. Send any stragglers a big smoke signal that says they've been evicted. Especially since we appear to be runnin' low on ammunition as of late."

"Should we begin to clean up immediately, sir?" Warren grumbled as he ripped a broken rifle from the stiff fingers of one of many victims. Large hands twisted and turned the weapon but found the piece to be of no redeeming qualities. It was tossed into the pile with the rest of the junk. It wasn't as if he preferred ranged combat over melee anyway, and his cohorts wouldn't dare use such a broken piece.

"You, James and Paul here will," Autumn pulled the collar of his coat up, "Lin and I are going to see how things are looking in the control room. Maybe the freaks didn't ruin all the machines," he said with his back turned to us, "Get it all done quick, Warren. We light up before dark."

"Yes, sir," the mammoth grumbled. With seemingly no more thoughts beside his orders, he squatted down to evaluate the weight of the pulp at his feet. Boredom, or perhaps a woeful reminiscing of the calm after the battle, set in on his appearance as he jostled the decimated remains. "This'll be too heavy to carry for you two. Is there a cart of some kind around?" he asked with unexpected casualness.

Dad's widened eyes were focused acutely on the mass, still flowing freshly red. Nausea was written on his forehead in bright, flashing letters, complete with the sounds of his breakfast stirring for its ill-timed vengeance. He swallowed hard, "Yes. Yes, I believe there should be one in the hall closet still," he said, turning away as quickly as his body would allow and heading behind us and up the incline.

Warren eyed my father while he proceeded to the closet as if he were under orders to never let him out of his sight. Which, for all I knew, he did have such orders. Even as he began to drag a few pieces about, he still watched from the corner of his eye.

Seeing the streaks being left behind from Warren's initial cleanup attempts, I decided it was an appropriate moment to excuse myself from the room as well and followed Dad to the closet. "Hey, can I ask you something?" I whispered.

"What is it?" he mumbled, hands fidgeting while trying to pick the lock on the door. He spat a few curses under his breath as the lock broke in response to his forcefulness. With no other option, he kicked the door. It bounced back with relatively little damage.

"Here," I said, nudging him aside. I lifted my leg and shoved it forward with all my might, splintering the door in the process. The broken wood left slammed into the wall behind it and nearly closed once again. I waved to assure the towering bodyguard that we were unharmed. "What is up with these guys? I've seen some crazy mercenaries and heard of worse, but these guys are on a whole different level."

Dad pulled the chain hanging from the bulb from the cramped space. "Well, they're all very professional people and have been working in their field for quite a long time. These kinds of things don't really faze them like you or me."

"But what kind of people go walking into a super mutant base like it's as scary as seeing the dentist?" I pushed.

Dad glanced back and forth, then shut the door behind him with care and quietness. Then he turned to me, face as stern and fatherly as it was when he explained to me the risks my mutation carried with it. "Son, you need to trust me, alright? These people, Augustus and his men…" he looked back over his shoulder, "God, I wouldn't even know where to begin to explain," Dad whispered with dread. He seemed to bite his tongue with each new attempt at speaking, the words that threatened to escape far too precious to waste. Dad fought to say anything but each open and close of his mouth was nothing more than a brief exhale without sound. Finally, he settled on locking his eyes directly on me. "What I'm about to tell you, son, is never to be told to anyone else. Not to your friends, to Madison, to Augustus, hell, not even me. It'd be better if we pretend we didn't even have this conversation unless I bring it up first. Do you understand?"

I nodded and swallowed hard as I noted the color leaving Dad's face.

He pressed his ear to the door and listened for a moment. Not hearing anything to note, he stepped back over to me. "Have you ever listened to that other radio broadcast from your Pip-Boy?" he asked with what appeared to be no relation to the topic at hand. "Not GNR and not the pre-configured Vault PA system."

I held the wrist device to my face and pressed the buttons until the hazy, green screen displayed a list of radio signals. Typical buzzes and hums from the tiny screen filled the stale air in our tiny closet room. "The one here at the bottom of the list? Yeah, I've listened to it before. Enclave radio. Pretty much some guy spouting nonsense all day, isn't it?"

Dad shushed me intently, then looked over his shoulder and nodded. "Yes. That is the one," said Dad, "You see, Augustus, Linwood, and Warren come from the location of that broadcast. I don't know where exactly it is, other than somewhere up north, but that's where they come from."

I switched off the screen and dropped my arm. "So? Big deal. Long as they're not sending me to retrieve any satellite dishes I don't have a problem with a couple of DJs," I joked. He didn't find it funny, and upon seeing this my blood ran cold as a winter wind. "Are you in trouble?"

"No, no, son. I just need you to trust me. And no, they aren't DJs, Paul, they're part of an organization called the Enclave, the same ones from the radio. Now, there have been some instances in the past when they-" as if an unexpected siren blared in his head, he stopped and searched the room in a panic. Dad took a few pieces of junk off the shelf and threw them to the floor. All the assorted metals and tools collected in the cardboard boxes clanked on the ground with deafening volume. "Get it, son!" he shouted and stomped his foot on the tile floor.

"What are you?-"

Dad pulled me close, "We'll talk later, alright? Now follow my lead."

Thunderous charging came from the hallway and directly to the door. Warren, using all his power, ripped the door open and nearly off its hinges. Blunt weapon in hand, he bared his teeth in expectation of a fight but became disappointed to find only a doctor and his son standing in a dusty room among a bit of junk and cart.

Dad cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, Warren," he began, composed and stoic as ever, "There was a radroach in here and we didn't want him to get out," Dad gestured to a shaft where wall and floor meet, "Should've guessed he would crawl out through the vent."

Warren exhaled long and pitifully, then turned to me. He searched me for something with his gaze. Collusion probably, and seemed to expect me to crumble under his scrutiny.

"It was pretty big, too. I don't think I've ever seen one that big. A real giant, much like yourself, big boy," I said as I nudged the man in the ribs. A courageous move on my part, given that he could've smashed me into a paste then and there. "C'mon, Dad, we should get that cleanup started, huh?"

"Of course, son. Of course," he agreed, "I'll have you help me with the poison later," he said, suggesting an obvious return to our conversation at a better time.

Cleanup, if you can call it that, gave me a new appreciation for the strength of the giant bodyguard. He still struggled greatly to put the chunks of the mutants on the cart, but did so with relative ease compared to me, and especially my father. Worse, it seemed as if he had done so before, and with the new knowledge my father had given me about their origins, I was probably not far off the mark. The details, however, can be summed up easier than the work.

It was nasty. It was smelly. I hated it. Dad hated it. Warren was indifferent to it. We got it done. Eventually, we had a lumpy, reeking pile of mutant corpses on display for all to see and I lost my appetite. Once we had everything set, it was time to burn the remains. It was time to send out signal.

Linwood held the flickering flame high above his head, aligning it with the evening sun just behind him. He seemed to cherish the moment, taking in a few deep breaths and letting them out slowly as if in a sort of trance.

"C'mon, boy, just toss the damn flame and get it over with. Sun's going down and we need to get some rest in. Lots of repair work to do," Augustus carped, swatting at his nose in hopes of mitigating the scent.

The soldier held it for only a moment longer before stretching his arm back and swinging it forward. Without another word, the torch sailed through the air and landed on the pyre. Tiny flames crackled and grew on the bodies stacked high, enveloping them in an inferno unlike what they had experienced while living. They stood taller than the pile, while tar-colored smoke climbed into the clouds above. Heat reached far, enough to banish the chill in the air for good and warm the bricks around the foundation of the Jefferson Memorial.

If it weren't for the fuel of the flame, I might've felt some sort of peace while looking at it, like a cheerful night under the stars. Instead, I felt nothing but disgust. Shocking, considering I had all but been desensitized to the amount of grotesqueness sprinkled about. "Know any good campfire songs?" I carelessly asked Josef, who covered his nose in response to the awfulness around us.

"None that I'm willing to breathe this air in for," he grumbled, pulling his shirt collar up over his face. He backed away from the roaring tower of flame and proceeded into the approaching dark. The bridge, edge still scorched by the day's earlier blast, seemed to be his destination.

I trotted along behind him, shadows stretched long before us. "Where are you headed?"

He glanced over at me once, then away. He didn't bother to remove the cover from his face and instead mumbled the words through it. "Uh, well, I'm going back to Rivet City. You seem to be in good hands here," he stated with minimal importance.

"You're splitting now? Things were just getting good!" I responded in disbelief. I stopped him from his forward march to demand an explanation.

He pushed my hand away, then caught the slipping face-cover and pulled it back up. "C'mon, you make it sound like I'm breaking up with you," he jested. "Maybe in all the excitement you forgot that we're still in debt."

Moira. Of course. I had indeed forgotten. "Right, but we still have a while before we need to pay her back."

"True, true, but I'd rather get it done sooner rather than later. I talked with Ana about following up on Zimmer's robots. I figured we could both work on the job and pay off Moira. Maybe have a little money left over? Maybe get our names in the hat next time someone's looking for hired help? Besides, you don't want her trying to collect a debt from you, do you?" Josef asked, giving another glance to the bright fire burning behind us.

"Not really. She probably won't do shit, though. Actually, she's most likely forgotten about it by now." I downplayed.

"Well, maybe it doesn't mean too much to you, but I want to pay back my debts, no matter what," he declared with much more heroism than he likely intended.

I turned back to see Warren dumping another chunk on the pyre, then back to Josef. "So, once we get the money and pay Moira, then what?"

Josef began his walk once again. "I thought Ana and I could head back to Springvale, but I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Har, har."

"No, I mean it," Josef said with decisiveness. He stopped at the pileup of cars and leaned against it. His face was revealed once again and he inhaled long and slow, treasuring the missing scent of burning mutants. "I don't see much more of a reason to stick to your side day in and day out," he said, "I set out to help you find your dad, and now we've found him. Now, I've got to think about my line of work and I can't do that holed up with you, your dad, country-boy and his two pumpkins back there."

"Hell of a time to tell me all this, Jo," I said to express my distaste.

"I was going to tell you yesterday, but I didn't want to be an asshole and ruin the moment," he shrugged, "It doesn't matter, though. It's not like this is goodbye forever right here and now. It's just a heads up before we reach the crossroads. Fair?"

I growled under my breath. I really wanted Josef and Ana to stick with me, but they had their own lives and I couldn't ask any more of them without offering anything in return. I shifted the pebbles beneath my feet, hoping to mask the irritation in my voice "Yeah, fair enough."

"Good," he concluded. "Listen, I'll stop back in if something changes. You do the same if you come across anything we can do," he said, climbing over the car fort and standing atop it. "Just watch your ass while I'm gone."

"I'd tell you the same, but I know it won't be yours you're watching."

Josef rubbed his hand over his head lightly and extended his thumb and finger, pointing to me. "You'd better believe it."

And just like that, I was alone on that end of the bridge. He hopped down to the other side, the setting sun dimly lighting his path back to the leaky, old tub that held promise in his eyes. He was what he claimed to be: a mercenary forever looking for the next job.

Regardless of my inaction and naivety, there was still plenty of work to be done, and quite a few more answers to be gotten from my father. I made it my goal for the next day to finally ask Dad the point of it all. Why he had left the vault, why he had joined up with some shadowy military, why he had romped across the wasteland with them, and why he had lied through his teeth about everything from the vault to my own mother. It wouldn't be a stretch to acknowledge how much I was questioning myself.

As usual. I always do that since it keeps me in check. Even now it prevents me from becoming what I have been once again.

What I didn't want to question was my father's truthfulness. I'll admit that I was skeptical of everything he said, even down to something as simple as, "see you tomorrow." Justifiable as it would've been, something still resisted breaking all the trust I had left. He was still my dad at the end of the day, and some childlike confidence that he was always in control still clung to me. Especially since, down there, in the basement tunnels of the memorial, it felt closer to home than I had ever been yet. It was dark, cold, and if I refused to acknowledge the smell and shut my eyes, I could pretend everything was the same.

It was no more than the break of dawn when I heard Dad's knuckles tapping lightly on the door. I stirred myself out of the lumpy mattress against the wall in my tiny, dimly lit room. Three Dog's voice mumbled out from my Pip-Boy speaker in the silence, held down by the volume knob while I shuffled across the room, still groggy from my common restless nights of bad dreams.

"Son, are you in there?" he spoke from behind the metal sheet between us.

I yawned and rubbed at my itching eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Woke me up early enough, didn't you?" I mumbled while another yawn set in. I pushed down the button for automatic doorway opening. The door split in the middle and retreated into the wall. "I was just getting to sleep."

"It's only six thirty. It isn't that early," he said, standing in the doorway, "In fact, it's a rather beautiful time to be awake. The sun will be rising soon and I thought we could watch it and talk for a while."

"It's just a sunrise, Dad. It happens every morning," I said.

Dad leaned against the door frame, arms crossed. "Strange, considering the sight is still something new to you. I thought you'd want to be up early like you always were back home."

"I didn't have much of choice with the Overseer barking orders over the PA system every morning," I responded, shrugging and reaching for my jacket hanging on the wall next to the door. "Well, since I'm up, we may as well," I agreed, untwisting the collar and straightening the shoulders. "Augustus isn't going to give you any trouble for this, will he?"

"Not at all. He and the others have been up for more than an hour already, doing God knows what," he explained, rolling his eyes at the thought of their morning routine, "But we don't need to worry about them. Let's get going. Sun will be peeking out before you know it."

I plodded up the stairs and into the reeking gift shop we entered the previous day behind my father who seemed more at ease than he had been in the last few days. However, in the most unsettling of ways, it was wrong. He was going to talk about what I wanted, a dreadful topic to be sure, but he disguised it under a veneer of bliss.

A gentle breeze whistled over the stone steps of the Jefferson Memorial. Crisp was the term for the morning, and the time of year was nearly the same name of the aged commander inside the locale. Being my first change of seasons on the surface, I was caught up in the unfamiliarity of the dropping temperatures. My first day above was, as you may recall, much like stepping too close to a burning oven. So, on that morning, I believe I finally began to grasp how little time I spent worrying about keeping warm down below where it was always chilly but not too cold and warm but not hot. I clung to the brown coat draped over me and shivered as a cooling wind blew up and over me.

Somehow, though, it couldn't do much to abate the tension in the air.

Dad strolled to the water's edge, hands thrust deep into his pockets and eyes turned to the orange horizon. A calmness unlike what I had seen was proudly on display as he finally appeared to be in his element. Underneath, though, tension ran through his veins. He eased down onto the stairs and patted the spot next to him. I took that place.

The silence was all that remained between us for a span of time. Everything else seemed to be unimportant at best, bordering forgettable as we shared a calm moment among a ruined city.

Dad sighed and seemed to decompress with the leaving air. "I used to watch the sunrise with your mother, too," he said in a way that spoke of his longing, "We would come out here and count the seconds before the day truly began, me chatting all the while and her trying to get a few words in over my rambling," he reminisced, "It was mundane, yes, I won't argue, but comforting nonetheless."

Again, he spoke of a woman I had never met as if I should know her. He had always done this, but now I wondered how much of her I really knew. "So, is this it? Is this your way of telling me you're finally going to tell me the truth?" I urged, giving into my desire for more knowledge, "All of it?"

Dad seemed to shrink back into his tense self, the same one he had been since I had reunited with him. Then, all at once, he eased again almost as if he were resigned. "Yes. I think it would be best to talk about that now and not about…"

"No. I don't know what you're talking about," I said in the middle of his sentence, aptly catching his cue.

My father cracked a slight smile. A poor, starving thing as far as smile go. "Well, son it…" he trailed off, "It was always here," he said, hands balled into fists in his lap, "Where you were born. Where you were supposed to speak your first words and where your mother and I would see you grow up and..." he stopped again. "Where we were supposed to be a family. A whole family."

"Never the vault?" I asked for clarification.

"Not at first, but we're getting there," he nodded in acknowledgment, "We had been working here with Madison and a few others for quite a while. Probably around two and half years, if memory serves me correct. Now this place, it shouldn't surprise you, given what we experienced yesterday, was and is dangerous," he wagged his finger in the air as if lecturing me, "Super mutants, for some damn reason, love to nest in here. It was like that when we found it and it was like that after we left."

"Clearly," I interjected.

"I was never enthused with the thought of bringing everyone here, especially not your mother, but I had to. It had to be here. So, I scraped together as many caps as possible, Madison and the others helping, and paid some mercenaries to help clear it out," he explained. "I thought that it would be enough, just running them off in the beginning, but I should have known better," he growled, "They came back in droves. First, we tried to hire more mercenaries, but not many would guard an empty building unless the zeroes on their pay were right, so we ran out of caps almost immediately. The super mutants would raid the place often, and the best we could do was rig up traps and hope that it ran them off. Then they began to get smarter, figure out how to avoid them..."

"And the Brotherhood of Steel got involved. And Lyons," I added.

Dad grumbled at the mention of the name. True, unbridled disgust, for the first time I had seen in quite a while, seemed to boil just below the surface.

"Dr. Li mentioned him yesterday," I said, hoping to defuse his resentment.

Dad recoiled once again, seeing that he would have to acknowledge the Elder. "Yes. Owyn and the rest of the Brotherhood got involved," he said and folded his stirring hands. "It worked out well for a while. They had little trouble fending off the mutants, no matter how often they seemed to attack. They were well equipped, trained and efficient. We became reliant on them, to say the least."

"Efficient feels like an understatement. I think even the mutants were afraid of them if their avoidance of the group at the Washington Monument was any indication."

"Hm. It would make sense, given that Augustus would echo the same thing. Greens are dumb animals, but even they can be afraid. What it takes to do that to them, I don't even want to think about," Dad observed, then seemed to drift off into another thought. "But enough of that, you wanted to hear the truth," he redirected, "Now, where was I?"

"It was going well with the Brotherhood at fir-"

"Ah, yes," he interrupted, "Owyn insisted that he and his soldiers would be more than happy to guard us for a small sum. But as time went on, he began to ask more and more of us. First, it was more caps, then he wanted to have a say in the direction of the project and even more caps. His prices became so extravagant that, before I knew it, he was demanding that we hand over the entire project to his Scribes or else he stop wasting resources on us," Dad again sounded disgusted, perhaps more so than before, "And then I realized how blind I had been, that he had walked us all into it. From the very beginning, he had planned it, and he knew we wouldn't survive without him."

"You didn't hand it over, did you?"

"No," Dad said with some tinge of regret, "I would've never handed it over so simply at the time, and I told him that it would be best if we go our separate ways. Well, more colorfully than that, but you get the point."

"And he just gave up?"

Dad's eyes again returned to the weary, broken grey they seemed often to be. "Absolutely," he said, "Within an hour, he had ordered every Knight and Initiate to return to their base. They didn't argue and they didn't even give us a hard time. They just left like it was an empty building, not one with a handful of scientists with no combat experience or sufficient means to defend themselves. Nothing. No hateful words or glances. Just silence." Dad said, voice barely above a regretful whisper. "It was the stupidest thing I have ever done."

"It sounds like a good idea to me. Besides, if it was a setup from the beginning, then more power to you for telling him off," I said, eager in my young mind.

"But it wasn't a good idea. It was a terrible idea. I was too rash, and I didn't consider the fact that we had no good way to defend ourselves. We had no money, we had only a few guns and only one of the three of us that knew how to fight them in any capacity was able to. Even worse, it wasn't going to be long until you were born," he recounted in deep-rooted pain. Dad stood up, wordless, appearing to be heavier than ever under the past. He stood on the edge, so close it seemed he could fall in at any moment. "I...when I realized how much danger I had put you and her in, I…"

I stood up and joined him on the edge.

"I had an awful thought," he looked over to me, "I began to plan how I was going to take you and her and leave it all behind without telling the others. I started searching any records or rumors of safe settlements, but it was a waste of time. Nowhere was going to be safe enough, not on the surface. So, I stopped looking on the surface and came across…"

"The vault," I guessed.

"But I would've been twice as idiotic if I were to even suggest dragging your mother across the wasteland at the time," he continued, "so I decided we would wait until after you were born and leave as soon as possible afterward," he said.

I decided to take another look at him but saw what the memories had done to him. Gone was the cautious and collected man I knew. He was slouched and barely seemed to hold himself up, eyelids drooped and cheeks sunken.

"I should've run while we had the chance. Hell, I should have carried her across the damn wasteland and stopped being such a…" he dropped to the ground, "It was all my fault. And when they swarmed us and she was in no shape to fight back, not like she would have been before. She was just," Dad's voice began to break, "They were too…" he stopped and allowed the emotions to overtake him at last. He curled into a ball, pitiful whimpers padding the lack of noises around us.

I didn't utter a single word, but not by choice. I had nothing to say.

"By the time I found her," he began again, "There was barely anything left. And when I saw, I lost myself. I thought I had lost you and your mother, everything, in just a few minutes. I've never felt so much anger, so much hate all at once, and I couldn't control myself. I blacked out," he said with shame apparent, "I don't even know how long it was, but one thing brought me back," he looked up at last, and then to me, "I came to when I heard you crying. There was so much blood, so much…I didn't even know if it was mine or the super mutant's. Even worse, I was worried that it was yours, but I knew I had to find you. I looked all over the room and you were still missing, and I started to think that you weren't there, that I was only imagining things. Until I finally checked the one place I didn't want to look,"

I reached out to him as he looked on, visions of the past striking him like furious, relentless bolts of lightning. He looked towards me, but not at me.

"And there you were, right under her, covered in muck and grime and blood, screaming for all that you were worth, not a scratch on you. I didn't even think, I didn't stop. I just took you and started running. I ran away from everyone and everything. There was nothing left, as far as I knew, no one else but you and I, and that was enough to keep me running well into the night," he choked out, then offered no more words. "I left all of them behind, everyone. And I never even stopped to think about them until we were already in Vault 101."

I lowered myself to the ground, still at a loss for words. I couldn't say anything to help him, and I couldn't do anything to change what had happened. If anything, I began to feel some sort of responsibility for what had happened. Dad would have never allowed me to feel that way, if I told him, that is.

"And that's why," he spoke with no prompt from me, "why I came back. I couldn't leave the things she died for undone, no matter the cost. I alone have no other reason to try anymore. Everything I felt back then, the passion I once had for this, this," he waved his arms in the air, "this damned project, is gone. I feel terrible saying it, but I don't care about it or the people who would benefit from it anymore. Catherine always said that it was the first step to bringing people together again, having a large source of clean water, instead of the filthy sop they pass around now. It would make them unite over something we all need. And people wouldn't have to just get by! It could be like how the Old World was when disasters happened: people helping people," he explained heart hollow but beating loudly still, "Idealistic nonsense, all of it! It always was! Now I just want to finish this, even if it kills me to do it."

Quiet splashes of the water pattered against the stone. Distant sounds of battle rang out. Silence once again fell over us. It was then that I found the true story had been harder to stomach than the false one, the comforting lie. Odd, given that I clamored for the truth from the moment I set foot on the dust-covered surface.

"Dad?" I asked, breaking the quiet reflection.

"Yes, son?"

"If you don't even care about them, then does it even matter?" I asked, not properly reading the moment.

"Does it matter?" he repeated after a false laugh, "Of course it matters."

"Enough to throw away the fake life you spent years trying to make a reality?" I asked, that flame flickering to life inside me again, "All the lies, all the secrets and all the shit-"

"Language! And I already said that if all goes according to plan, then this could be the first step to dusting off the world and beginning again!"

"Fuck my language!" I retorted louder than I meant to, "You spent my entire life trying to set up some world for me and now you turn around, tear it all down and act as if this project is the only thing that truly matters? Even after you've said you don't care anymore?"

Dad seemed to turn from sorrow to anger in a moment. "It's because it isn't all about you, Paul!" he shouted back.

"Then who is it about, Dad?" I growled, "Who are you doing this for? Is it for her? Do you even have any idea what I went through to escape after you left? Do you think she would've been happy about that? Do you know what it was like for me to wake up to my best friend in a panic, telling me that you had left and Jonas had been killed? Is it not about them, either?!" I roared, hot tears stinging my eyes. I shot up and gazed down at him.

"They weren't involved in it!" he shouted back. Dad stood up as well and stomped his foot on the ground. "They were never going to be a part of it! It was my goal, my burden and mine alone!"

"They weren't a part of it? What in the hot-hell do you even mean?" I boomed, wrath and fury taking over, "How many people need to have their lives taken before you decide you're not the only one involved? Jonas died because of you leaving and the best you can do is say that he wasn't involved? The vault was in absolute chaos when I left and probably still is and the best you can say is that they weren't supposed to be involved?"

"You think I'm able to sleep at night, knowing what I've caused?" he bellowed, pounding his hand on his chest and stepping away from me, "I watched Jonas go from some nerdy teenager to a grown man right in front of my eyes," he gestured to his face, "I taught him almost everything he knew, worked side by side with him day in, day out, and you think I don't care about his death at all? I made sure those same kids you grew up with and their parents were healthy no matter the cost to me and I'm the villain? What sort of high-grade bullshit are you spewing at me?"

I crossed my arms and leaned forward, sneer deep and cunning. I lowered my voice to speak the most venomous sentence I had ever uttered. "You slept pretty well last night, didn't you?"

Dad stumbled back, appalled as if my words had collided with tremendous force against him. "How…son…" he stammered, "How dare you. You have the nerve to stand here and lecture me about ruining lives when you murdered the Overseer with a hammer in front of his daughter?" he shot back, then covered his mouth, surprised at the words he had spoken.

The words coming from my father were heart-wrenching, compounded by their truthfulness. I frowned and turned away, absolute, uncontrollable fury mounting just below the surface, mixed and dripping in such genuine hurt I could hardly understand. Numerous thoughts pounded their way through my mind, all of them only suitable to dig an even deeper trench between us, so I tried to push them into the abyss they rose out of. Some escaped, however.

"You know what? Fuck it. Fuck the vault. Fuck your project. Fuck your reasons. And fuck you, too," I hissed with my back turned to him. I stormed away from the Memorial and towards the bridge leading back to Rivet City.

"Paul, wait!" I heard him shout from behind me, "Son, please!" he cried out.

For all I had done, all I had gone through to find him, and that was the answer I had yearned for? Had he burned it all away for some ill-fated journey to redemption and nothing more? Everyone, including myself, had been a stepping stone on his climb back too sainthood? Imagining that he had been pursuing a lofty, righteous goal had become a sole comfort in the face of doubt, and with our conversation over, it was unceremoniously torn from my grasp. And I ran away like a child, not realizing I still faced an unsatisfactory reality. I didn't stop or even slow down. I continued to run across the bridge as Dad shouted over and over, begging, me to stay.

If only I had stayed, listened to both voices begging me to stay, his and mine, instead of the feral one boiling over, maybe we could've sorted things out. If only I hadn't listened to the very same voice that had been brought to life in the confines of an interrogation room of a pre-war police station, then he may have helped me understand. But no, I had to run away and ignore him, instead of staying in the place I had fought tooth and nail from day one to reach!

I should have stayed.

I should have stayed, but I didn't.

* * *

 **Hello. Yes, I am still around. September must be a guaranteed month of writer's block for me now, and rewriting two chapters multiple times during it isn't a good idea, either. October must go faster than I thought as well. But hey, it's here now, and I hope all of you didn't think i gave up. I'm not doing that when there's still a story to write.  
**

 **Nothing super witty this time. Just letting you know I haven't faked my death after saving Gotham and started a new life in Florence.**


	25. A Man Among Sinners

Chapter Twenty-Five

A Man Among Sinners

 _~ September 13, 2277 ~_

It must've been desperation, why he did what he did. I couldn't have possibly understood why redemption mattered so much to him at the time, but such is the way of the self-righteous child I was. Rationalization said that I was innocent of everything to that point. Each misstep I made was due to the circumstances, which appeared to be forgivable. How could I understand what it's like to regret?

But, ah, I digress. There will be time for my such things later. I would soon meet the gatekeeper. To sin, perhaps? Hardly, but that isn't as far from the truth as you may believe.

I continued to run, like the emotional child I was, until my feet hit no longer squashed the dew-moistened dirt and cracked asphalt and instead stomped the cold metal of Rivet City's walkways. I hoped to lose myself in the crowd of uncaring travelers, and maybe even bump into my friends again. A novel idea of how to comfort oneself, _clearly_ , especially after again swallowing hard the pill of one's misplaced idealism. A scarce few beings swayed back and forth as they proceeded up to the bridge in a daze. Ideas of safety and surplus riddled their minds, and they would find both in the sizeable ship. It's a shame, though, that it was always on a time clock and couldn't be the be all, end all home for the population. Only so many people can be crammed into a given space before people become restless and resentful.

Upon seeing that there was nothing but discomfort written on their faces, I decided it best to remove myself from the unease bubbling beneath the surface on that day and placed myself at the bottom of the bridge tower, just around the bend where I would be neither bothered nor seen. I scratched the top of my head, feeling silly that I had nothing to cover the prickly dome with and dreading my grim yet unseen future that could be attributed to it. Dried tears still streaked my likely puffy face and rendered me a downright pitiful sight. It didn't matter, though, since all I really wanted was a few moments to myself. Maybe I could find a reason to not feel like I wasted my time going there to find my dad. Maybe I could make sense of it all.

So, repetition, droll as it was, circled in my head, but none of it helped me reach any other conclusion other than what I already knew: life around me was slowly unraveling as I found out more of the truth. Not only that, but I had spent all my time dwelling on the singular goal, that I didn't bother to think beyond it. Everyone around me had some sort of goal, except maybe Ana, although she had an idea of how she would find one at least.

But my time ran short. The gatekeeper awaited. He would offer me no luxury to be lonesome.

I could hear the coughing even before he had revealed himself, and smell the cause of it just as soon. Heavy, blackened boots stained with mud and dust plodded unevenly from around the corner, revealing a heavyset man, eyes squinted hard at me. A thick scar ran from the portion of his neck that wasn't covered in hair, up his cheek, crossed another one twice as deep, then continued into his greasy, matted hair.

I glanced up at him, eyes narrow, to give the best hint that I wasn't in the mood to be bothered. Either he didn't notice or, knowing him as I know now, it was far more likely that he didn't care

"Christ in can, boy, you're pretty far from home," he said as he crouched down in front of me, "But I guess that makes sense. 'Swat I'd do if I had killed the richest son of a bitch anyone's seen around here in ages," he whistled through a toothy smile.

I grimaced. The words were too specific for him to mistake me for another. "Who are you talking about?" I asked in hopes that his precision was only a façade.

He thumped me on the side of the head with his fist. "Tenpenny, dumbass. You're the kid that offed the old bastard."

I immediately tried to leap to my feet but found a revolver pressed to my throat.

"Now hang on, boy, I just want to talk. No reason to piss yourself over it," he said, pushing me back down with the tip of his gun.

"I'm sure it'll be a reasonable conversation," I hissed, instinct wanting me to swat the weapon away.

He chuckled. "Sniffer was right. You really are braindead, aren't you?" the man said and tapped me on the chin with the gun, grinning from ear to ear, "You know, you ought to be glad that I found you before your fuck-buddy's old pals did. Gustavo probably already has 'em on your ass if he's worth half a shit," he coughed and spat a black glob to the ground, "Which he ain't, but every dog has his day," the stranger continued as he wiped his chin.

"Do you mean," I paused, not wanting to speak the name unless he was baiting me with something, "Do you mean Josef?"

The man threw a punch at me, missed on purpose and pounded the metal behind me, then drew closer. He reeked of untold amounts of residue, none of which would be pleasing to any sane person. "He ain't said nothing yet? You really haven't even picked up on what he's so busy trying to push down? Well, I'll just let you figure that out naturally. I'm not here to intervene with your happy little trio. I'm here to ask for your help."

This stranger had threatened me, talked about my friend as if he knew his life story, then had the nerve to ask for help. I was taken aback, to say the least. "Really? You want help." I said as I gathered dirt in my hand and squeezed it into a dense ball, "How often does this threatening shtick work out for you?"

"Four out of five times, kid, believe it or not, now shut up and listen," the man placed his gun back in the holster hanging from his chest, easing the tension a palpable amount.

I eased my grasp on the mudball squelching between my fingers but readied myself to throw it regardless.

"I'm out here looking for a raider and his piss-poor crew. Young guy, made a lot of enemies in his life so now he's hiding in a sewer of all places. Figured that you, being a stone-cold killer and all, could help this bumbling bounty hunter out," he grumbled as he stood back up, "How about it?"

I pondered the proposal for a few moments, but his constant pacing revealed how much of a rush he was in.

"You awake in there? Too much complex stuff for your mind?" he barked on the heels of his original question.

I shook my head in response. "No, not at all. In fact, it sounds simple," I stood up and dusted myself off, "But, I'm not a killer for hire. Find someone else," I declined as I started to walk away. I had tangled with raiders on many occasions and had found my sympathy for them decreasing with every encounter. It bordered loathing, and for good reason. Far too many times I came across their victims dangling from rooftops or being otherwise tortured for entertainment. I began to see it as a favor for the world every time I had the opportunity to bury another one in the dirt stained with the evidence of their acts. That was hardly enough excuse to chase after them without being provoked, though.

"Oh, come down off your damn high-horse and think," he insulted. He grabbed me by the arm and shoved me against the wall, elbow against my chest. "It doesn't take much to see that you've got a lot of pent-up anger and bag of troubles the size of this big-ass boat, here. Why not make someone else's day by killing a bitch that deserves it?"

"Because it doesn't sound like my problem. I've already killed enough people in the past month, and I don't want to add any more to that list," I pushed his elbow away, then took another few steps. Then he said the right words to make me stop in my tracks.

"Fine, then, you pussy. Guess you'll just keep scrounging for money enough to pay that crazy bitch, won't you?"

His words were so precise, almost as if he had known everything about me before he had met me. He knew about Tenpenny, Josef, and even our debt while the last one I had never even spoken of in the slightest. It was chilling. "You mean you'll actually pay me for helping you put down a raider? That's fucked up."

"But you've killed for less, haven't you?" he spoke again through a hoarse throat, "Sounds like either you're an honest-to-God hero or just some ruthless psychopath that enjoys killing people." The hunter walked over in an effort to close the gap between us until he was once again bearing down on me. "It doesn't matter much to me, truth be told. I'll take whichever one helps you sleep at night."

I waged a war with my own morality in just a few moments, trying once again to rationalize how my actions were justifiable. My motto, "Take care of your own, no matter what," was echoing, and killing someone seemed to be an inescapable part of it.

It was then that I began to take a stroll down the path that I had dreaded, but stood at the beginning of for so long. I stood my ground, stretched out my hand and opened my palm to the eager bounty hunter while a better angel shouted for me to turn him down and walk away for good. Their voice was unheard by the constant droning of an increasing complacency.

He grinned a hedonistic grin and closed his dirt covered, gloved hand over mine. "Name's Hagan, boy. Now get your ass in gear, we got a _degenerate_ to kill," he said as he squeezed my hand tightly and gave it shake.

"If you needed my help," I began, refusing to let him go and forcing him to look at me, "You could've just asked."  
"Shut it. I had to make sure you weren't chicken," Hagan said, "If all it took was a little threat to run you off, then I would've kept moving, got it?" he added and pushed the brim of his hat upwards to glare at me.

Without another moment to waste, he turned on his heel and started in the other direction. He was perpetually muttering a slew of words and curses to an invisible occupant, as it was clear he wasn't speaking to me. Hagan trudged onward across the road, pushing through a group of mercenaries as if they were mannequins and not human beings. Shouts and curses were hurled at him, and one reached for his rifle, but as he turned around, they scurried away like they were face-to-face with patient zero of the next Plague.

Hagan frowned deeply at their hasty escape. "Punk-ass pieces of shit!" he grumbled as he limped down the incline and onto the sidewalk, leg brace squealing and whimpering all the while. "All talk these days, mercenaries. Guys back in my day had steel dicks, ten-foot pole shafts and would've beat my ass for that," he spat and coughed, "That's countin' the broads, too, boy," he shouted, jabbing his calloused finger out at me. "I'm glad you aren't a punk like them."

"Coming from you, that means the world," I said, as he continued his heated rant about days long past.  
Hagan crouched and tugged at the crowbar hanging from his belt. He pushed at his matted hair and spat again. "Wow, thanks a bundle, Sniffer, you fucking moron, all we needed was another smartass," he grumbled as he shoved the instrument under the manhole cover underneath him.

"I'll take a stab in the dark and say that this Sniffer is a friend of yours," I said. Hagan motioned for me to come over as he huffed and puffed in his efforts to lift the heavy lid.

"Smart-aleck little prick is what he is," Hagan shouted back, "You'd love 'em, though, if he doesn't do anything to make you want to wring his scrawny neck first," he grunted as we both carried the cover and set it aside. It clanged on the concrete walk with thunderous reverberation. "But I give credit where it's due. He is the reason I found you here today, not that you, running out from the Memorial, wheezing and snotting all over yourself was going to be that hard to miss."

I felt my face flush red. "Yeah, uh, I guess it was a bad scene," I said in a hushed tone.

"You looked like an ass, to be frank. Almost passed you up after seeing that," Hagan said as he climbed down, then dropped into the dark hole we opened. A splash, like a boulder dropped in a puddle, was the only sound that echoed out from the drop.

I waited for a moment, and after not hearing any movement, I began to assume the worst. I had to check, though, so I switched on my Pip-boy light and lowered myself into the sewer tunnel. "Is that all it took, Hagan?" I asked when I saw him rubbing his lower back and wincing.  
"Shut up," he growled, "Further drop than I thought it was, that's all. It'll take more than that to do me in," he grumbled, trying to find his stance in the murky water that only rose high enough to cover the soles of our footwear, "The skid-mark we're after would only be so lucky, wouldn't he? And why didn't you tell me you had a light?" he asked and pointed at my wrist.

I waved it around. "You didn't ask. And I think you're forgetting you had a gun at my neck not more than five minutes ago," I retorted, "Consider us even, now."

Hagan groaned and hoisted himself back to his feet. The darkness seemed to choke out the meager light I was outputting, causing him to squint more than usual at the length before us. "Hmph. Seems we got here on a good day," he said as he splashed down the tunnel, "Been through here before and been knee deep in shit and the like. Still a fucking headscratcher that there's water down here." Hagan recalled.

I stepped lightly in the reeking water, cursing my streak of luck and unwise choices once again. "Probably leaking in from some other source, maybe the river. Still, that doesn't explain the crap…Either way, I'm going to have a number for this. Something tangible."

He barely looked over his shoulder but continued to stomp down the tunnel. "My word isn't good enough? Alright, the way I figure, between the both of us, I can give you, say," he put a finger to his chin and scratched his straggly beard, "Two-eighty."

I nearly leaped in excitement. "Caps?"

"No, bird eggs. Yes, caps, you idiot," he said, stopping short and pushing back on my chest. "People come to me when they get desperate when they really want someone dead for a good reason, so they're willing to pay some pretty steep prices."

My mind jumped all over at the confirmation. Josef had been stressing himself out over how he would get out of debt, and even I felt a little guilty for getting him into it without his knowledge. But things were suddenly looking up. All I had to do was kill a raider and his cohorts with some gruff bounty hunter. Hell, the prospect of making enough money to pay off Moira in one fell swoop almost made it worth trudging through a smelly dark sewer tunnel.

Almost.

We stumbled through what seemed to be an endless stretch of winding sewer tunnels for the better part of an hour, in which I had plenty of time to realize I had not one weapon on my person. In the heat of the moment, I had left the Jefferson Memorial and taken nothing with me. I had none of my belongings, no stimpaks, no guns, nothing. If anything were to go wrong, then I would be in deep trouble, and I wasn't entirely sure if I could rely on my new partner to help me if things went downhill in a big way. Hagan hadn't noticed that I was unarmed, or, once again, he may not have cared. Especially since he spent the entire trip cursing and shouting about how much he hates that the world exists only in a shade of purple since an accident a few years ago.

"Now, boy, we ought to be getting close to our destination. Pay attention," Hagan said mid-rant, "If I'm right, there'll be a fork ahead. We take the left side and there should be a drop-off. The prick's hideout is just past it."

"And what do we do when we reach the drop-off?"

"Jump it. What else would we do?"

"I don't know. Not jump it?"

"Don't get soft on me now. It's just a small hop. Even brought a rope, just in case you fall," he patted at his side, then motioned for me to move around to his front.

I help my arm up to better light the tunnel. It was narrow and cramped as it had been for the entirety of our trip, but I was not mistaken when I thought I felt a difference in air flow. Ahead of us, it was distinctly different, likely larger. Bars heading vertically came into view as we continued to walk, but they were melted and pushed out through the middle, allowing us to pass. Another few steps and my light flooded outwards, no longer contained by the tight corridor. Absolute blackness stretched below me while trickling water flowed off the edge and into the dark.

I glanced over my shoulder at Hagan, who was readying the rope. "How am I supposed to jump that?" I asked.

Hagan tied a knot in the rope near the frayed end, then knotted it again to a bar of the grate. "I'm going to tie this thing here to you, then you can work your way around the edge and jump to the other side when you run out of room," he explained as he tossed the other end of the rope to me, "There'll be a grate there. Tie the other end to it and I'll climb across."

I swallowed hard as I held the rope in my hands. "Oh, damn it. I just wasn't dressed for bungee jumping today."

"Do it or I kick you off myself. No rope."

I knotted the rope around my waist, not confident in either the dusty piece of fabric's ability to hold me if I took the plunge nor my own ability to live through the sudden stopping of my fall if it did. Still, I took my first step out onto the edge. A rim surrounded the gap, barely enough to get my toes on.

"Get going, boy. I'm running out of time on this old planet and I'm not partial to dyin' in a literal shithole with you by my side," Hagan shouted as I took my first few steps around the rim, hands still holding the corner of the tube for dear life.

I tried everything to prevent myself from looking down, not that I could see much. The openness was so inviting as if it were a giant, gaping mouth ready to gulp me down into the pits of Hell itself. My toes were curled in my boots, desperate to hold onto whatever ground they could find, while my fingers searched carefully for any divots in the cement wall to hold. My head began to thump as the scenario of the little foothold I had collapsing played out in excruciating detail inside my imagination. Every little shake of the earth felt like it was enough to send me downwards to oblivion, although it could've been only myself shuddering as I reached the midway point.

One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. I repeated it as a soothing mantra while I drew closer a position opposite of where I had begun my climb. If my feet didn't slip, then I was going to make it. That is until I reached the point of no return, which was rapidly approaching, where I had to jump the rest of my distance. I eyed the end of the rim that had collapsed long ago into the hole below. The footing had run out, and I had to jump, so I said a quick prayer and readied myself. I pushed my hands and feet against the wall to propel myself backward, then reached out into the darkness to grab the other side of the tunnel ahead. With one hand, I swung from the edge, shoulder aching from being dislocated by a super mutant a few days before. My fingers burned as I reached my other arm up to solidify my grip. Finally, and with a vicious grunt, I pulled myself up and into the pipe.

"Hot-damn, boy!' Hagan cackled, "You made it! Now get that rope tied so I can get over there."

Simply elated to be on flat ground once again, I knotted my end of the rope tightly around the first bar that looked sturdy enough. I gave it a few tugs, then shouted to Hagan on the other side. "I don't think this hole is meant to be here! It looks like something decided to tunnel here. I mean, look at the formations!" I pointed out, "The question is, 'what could be large enough to dig a hole like this?'" I said after some observation of the hole.

The rope went taut, then I heard Hagan huffing and puffing as he moved across the hole. "Don't say shit like that, you'll get me all spooked," he grumbled. As he came into view, I watched his hands move one over the other in methodic succession faster than one would think his body would allow. He hoisted himself up with relative ease, then brushed past me with an excited grin on his face.

"Now we're getting close. It'll be a little further, then we come up through another cover and jump the fuckers," he said with a gleeful lilt.

"Hang on, I thought you said it was in the sewer?" I pointed out, irritated by the sudden change in destination.

"It's fucking close enough. And before you give me any lip about it, you'd better have an idea how I was going to explain that we go romping through a shit-chute after some guy when he ain't even in there," he said as he removed the gun from his holster and gave it a few spins.

"What is with you?" I asked, "It's like you're purposely choosing the most difficult path to take. Hell, there was probably another way around that gap, wasn't there?"

"No, that was the only way. But, if you would've gone to the left instead of the right, then you wouldn't have had to jump like a damn squirrel."

"Oh, fuck you!"

"Get all wound up now and you won't have any fuss left over for the next few notches on your killer belt," he tapped the gun on the tunnel wall and began to drag it along, finger on the trigger all the while. It bounced and clacked, sending an ominous, rhythmic echo ahead of us, mingling with another story that I didn't care to listen to. His steps had become much quieter since the water around our ankles had lowered, but the squeak of his leg brace continued to fill the few moments between his vulgar rants. "And the by-the-by, you might want something to beat them with," he said, interrupting what I'm sure was a heartfelt tale of his glory days, "Here, catch."

I held my hands out to catch the metal instrument sailing in the air. A crowbar was going to be my weapon of choice for the venture even though it was doubtful it would be sufficient.

"Alright, boy," he said as he turned on his heel to face me, one hand resting on his chest holster, "When we come up, you try to make as little noise as possible. We want the element of surprise. Do it right, and they'll shit themselves before we even pull the trigger."

"And there are three, right?"

"What? You think I'm some snake in the grass liar?" he asked with one hand on the ladder leading back to the surface. Hagan threw his head back and laughed. "Maybe you aren't as dumb as I thought!" he shouted as he climbed to the cover and pushed it open with his hand.

I followed just behind him, back into the blinding light of the surface world. We stood in an alleyway, a building on either side of us. The windows were shattered and the glass from them littered the concrete ground. I watched as Hagan crouched and pushed himself against the wall. He put one finger to his mouth, then gestured to the broken window. "You ready?"

I nodded as I clutched the crowbar in my hands.

The only noise from Hagan was a squeak from his brace as he rolled over the windowsill and into the floor on the other side.

I wasted no time in joining him and dropped onto the floor with a thud.

Hagan readied his revolver, then walked over to the wooden door across from us. He looked back at me one last time and grinned another demented grin. At that, he kicked the door down with tremendous force.

"What the fuck was that?" a voice shouted in panic.

Hagan strolled into the rectangular room, myself behind him where two figures awaited inside, radio playing in the background. One jumped from the couch and reached for a rifle of some make leaning against the wall. Hagan fired his gun with one, nearly unseen motion. The raider slouched against the wall, tried to get his fingers around the gun, coughed a shower of red to the ground and collapsed in it.

I rushed around Hagan and charged the other raider, who brandished a knife. A sloppy swing went towards my throat but put him off balance instead as I swayed around it. I struck his knee, earning a high-pitched squeal from him as he stumbled backward. Another move of the blade went to my legs, but I avoided it with almost no effort. I kicked him in the face, then swatted him again with the crowbar for good measure. Clearly, the raider had not been in his full mental capacity, made evident by the pinpricks on his arm. Lucky for me, I guess.

Hagan stomped into the hallway, then beat his hands on the wall as he glided up the stairs. "C'mon out, degenerate," he called out, voice like a growl of a famished animal, "You'd much rather me find you," he continued while beating his fist all the while. Creaks escaped both his leg brace and the aged stairs as they splintered.

I remained on the bottom floor as Hagan stirred the upstairs room. Neither of the two raiders was in any shape to be dangerous, so it only seemed natural to help myself to their belongings. After all, such is the way in the land of necessity. Their pockets were filled with nothing but lint, clumps of dirt, dried blood from past adventures and further unknown residue. The bags tossed haphazardly in a pile against the wall yielded much more rewards. A handful of caps, which I quickly thrust into my coat pocket, and a box of .44 caliber ammunition were in one, the other was bursting at the seams with Jet, Psycho, and Med-X. On the bright side, they had no more days of struggling with a bad habit ahead of them, but they would have no pride of breaking the streak themselves.

As I rummaged through the bag and found nothing that interested me, I glanced over to the lampstand beside the pile. Next to the still smoking cigar in the ashtray, ragged photograph sat, bent and weathered by travels. It was a picture of a girl, a frustrated look on her face that was clearly directed at the photographer, standing in front of a run-down building. It was faded and worn around the edges, even burned in one corner. Nothing out of the ordinary, surely, nevertheless I became curious. What would a raider have a photo of? I picked it up, at the very least hoping that it would give me another person to be wary of should I ever meet them when a sudden confusion washed over me.

"Jackie?" I muttered as I picked up the photograph and felt my eyes widen slightly. It was her in the photo, no arguing. I tossed a few theories as to why these three had a photo of her until it dawned on me.

A sound of scuffling echoed down the stairway and into the floor below.

"There you are!" Hagan roared while another bang, probably due to overturning furniture, shook the lampstand.

I hurried to the stairs, in case the old man needed help, but was met with a tumbling body headed straight to my feet. The man, crumpled and bruised at my feet was still very much alive, and very much afraid. His body was trembling as he searched for a place to plant his hands and turn himself upright. One hand stayed glued to his forehead as drops of crimson trickled between his fingers.

I kicked him in the stomach before he even had the chance to notice me. He coughed violently then rolled over into the floor. At last, I was face to face to with our target. My fingers found themselves holding tightly his torn shirt as I dragged him across the floor and into the open room. The man shouted in horror as I tossed him against the wall.

"Look. At. Me," I said, voice more akin to a feral noise.

As if he wasn't already horrified enough, he became even more so when he studied my face for a few moments. The last bit of color drained out of his face, and the haughty belligerence he had upon our last meeting went with it.

I towered above him, glaring with all my might as he searched for words to respond, most likely the ones he hoped would allow him a few last moments of life. "Sh-shit! It's you!" he stammered.

"So, you do recognize me, then? Guess the mutations didn't fuck me up too bad," I responded with little emotion as he began to suck air as greedily as possible.

"Of course!" Jonny shouted in a false friendliness, "I mean, how could I forget after we broke out of jail together? G-Good times, yeah?"

"Ran off and left everyone else, you mean," I corrected sternly, clenching my fists.

"R-right, whatever you say, man," he said with one breath then tried to pull himself up, still shaking.

I brought my knee to his face and watched as he dropped to the floor once again, shouting expletives in a continuous streak. Next, I crouched over him, pinning him to the ground and placed the crowbar on his neck, to twist the events of our past. "How's it feel to be on the receiving end?"

"C'mon! You don't have to do this!" he pleaded, "I was just fucking with you back then! I was having real bad withdrawals, and I wasn't acting right! I needed a hit! You understand?"

I pressed the crowbar on his throat as he gasped and pushed on it, not moving it an inch. "No. I really don't understand why you thought it was a good idea to threaten me. Hit or no hit, you made a bad move, Jonny-Boy," I said as I pressed the bar down harder, choking out the little oxygen remaining, "Y'know, I've had a shit day so far. Finding you might've just made it a little better," I acknowledged with a casual tone.

"Please…" he gasped, barely audibly, "Please…"

"Please what?" I asked with fake attentiveness.

"Did my sister…" he gasped again, "Did she make it?" he asked, eyes welling up with tears. He feebly grabbed at my arm and did little to slow the approaching end.

I looked him directly in the eyes and saw an opportunity, a grave one at that. A most horrid thought entered me and I began to act upon it. His time was running short, so I leaned in close, right by his ear and whispered with absolute certainty, "No. She didn't."

In the last moments Jonny had left, his face contorted with the deepest kind of grief. No doubt he would have screamed if he had enough strength left to do so, but he was left with just heart-wrenching grief. At that, I pushed the crowbar once more and did not let up until I heard a grotesquely satisfying snap. The expression was burned into his face forever, and he choked under a broken trachea during his last moments believing himself to totally alone in the world, the one sibling he had taken by the hungry green-men and met with a worse fate than even he knew. A lie unlike any I had told before, and one so vile even I was repulsed.

I stood up and continued to glare at the now dead Jonny with as much disgust as I had moments before, while he still lived. It'd be comforting to my own ego to say that I derived no enjoyment from the act, but once again, I found myself exhilarated. The power, the perceived justice, was intoxicating.

And it was all he wanted. For me to have a taste.

Hagan stomped into the room, clapping and hooting like we had just set off the biggest set of fireworks he had ever seen. "Damn, son, you're a right twisted one. Staring someone down while they choke to death. You kiss with your eyes open like that, too?" He taunted as he took his hat off to brush his matted hair back.

"How about you just pay me so I can get on with my life?" I shot back.

"Now, hold your horses," Hagan twisted his hat until it was at the perfect angle and grinned when he found it, "I've got a proposition for you. Can't let you run off without hearing it."

I sat down on the couch, adrenaline rush coming to an end. I groaned under my breath, "Fine, I'm waiting then."

Hagan crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at me. "You ever heard of the Regulators, boy?"  
I stroked my chin, trying to recall the name. "Yeah, once. Weren't they just a bunch of cowboys or something?"

"Fucking hell, that's what we went down…" Hagan pushed his hat up again in disbelief, disrupting the perfect angle he had worked for, "Yeah, a bunch of yippee-ki-yay acting assholes. Got wiped out like the pansies they were after they tried to go toe-to-toe with Talon. Those Regulators."

I leaned my head back and stared at the ceiling, just waiting for my money so I could go back to Rivet City. "What about them?"

"Well, once they were dead and buried, a little group got started up, one that I happen to call my own, but most of the trash around the Capital call us the Normalizers. See, we do what the other that bleeding-heart bitch Sonora and the other Regulators wouldn't do: get the fucking job done," he explained while he dug through his belongings for something, "No rules except put the bastards in the ground and get paid. And, truth be told, I think you did pretty well out here today, boy," he smiled, crooked, but genuinely. "Prime material. Reminds me of myself when I was young if I were half as good looking and twice as stupid."

"Anyone ever tell you that you have a winning personality?" I interrupted, sour from the insults.

Hagan simply chuckled, "Yep. Prime material. So, here's the point, as I'm sure you're just piss-excited to hear. How about you call yourself a part of us? I think you'd fit right in with the rest of the rejects around the Wasteland that joined. You work your own hours and take the jobs you want, and only you get to decide how it's done. Nobody else can tell you what to do."

I leaned forward, placing my elbows on my knees and wrestling my thumbs with one another. "Look, I'm not eager to throw myself into more gunfights right now. And this was just a one-time deal, alright? I don't want to join your secret treehouse club. I just want to get paid here and now so I can go home," I declined.

Hagan appeared disappointed for a moment but regained his usual demeanor of discomfort and general dislike in the next. "Well, if that doesn't feel like a kick in the balls. Can't force you though, so here," he conceded and tossed a plastic bag to me, a note atop the pile of caps, "Here's your money, and if you ever change your mind, the note says where to go."

I didn't bother to unfold the note as to not give the old bounty hunter any ideas but instead shoved the bag into my pocket. I waved my hand to say goodbye and started towards the window we had entered through, but he wasn't done speaking yet.

"By the by," he began, "If you hate raiders this much, I think you ought to have a little chat with your pal, Josef, when you see him again," he grumbled over his shoulder, "Just so you know what kind of motherfucker you're riding with. Oh, and tell him ol' Hag says howdy," he shouted as he proceeded around the corner and up the stairs, "He'll know what it means," Hagan said, then guffawed loud and deep.

I brushed it off then, but his familiarity with my friend rubbed me wrong. Crazy or not, the old man was goading me for something, and he only managed to make me more curious than I was the first time he mentioned it. Josef had been very avoidant since I met him, but I simply chalked it up to him being a private person. However, as Hagan's comments echoed, unease flowed through me as I pulled up the map on my Pip-Boy to refresh my mind of my location and started back to Rivet City.

I should've be counting my days, not on a path to opening old wounds. And I should've swallowed my pride and went back to the Memorial.

* * *

 **Hola.**

 **This is pretty exciting for me. We're almost to the end of Part 1, which is something I began to wonder if I would ever say, and now it feels like I may actually see it. But...baby steps, baby steps, then we can change gears a bit.  
**

 **Now, don't hold me to this to much, but I really want to reach Part 2 by the end of December. If I don't forcibly jam anything else into the story, then by my estimation, that's about three or so chapters, two of them probably average length, and one being a bit long (sorry, spoilers). Tall order, yes, especially with some of the tests I'm facing down in class at the moment and my infrequent update schedule. But I finally feel like I've escaped that dreaded state of being: Writer's block.**

 **Just gotta keep believing. Thanks to all of you who have stuck it out despite my nebulous uploads. We're just about to 10,000 views here, so tell your friends, your neighbors, your garbage man, and drop me a review while your at it.  
**

 **Gotta Blast!**


	26. Crossroads

Chapter Twenty-Six

Crossroads

 _~ September 14, 2277 ~_

Shopkeepers and cheats alike went about their morning routines in the Rivet City market, eager to pack their pockets with more caps than their neighbors. The shopkeepers typically raked in less than the cheats, and seldom got away with raw deals, but I guess it's easier to track down, say, Seagrave Holmes than it is some nameless wanderer. Fortunately for me, I had business with him that morning. Hagan had paid generously, and I didn't find out how well until I got back to Rivet City. Surprise, surprise: he had told me another lie and given me another twenty caps on top of the agreed amount. I wasn't about to try and track the man down, not that I could, and instead decided it would be nice to buy something I had my eye on for a few days. I deserved something for all my troubles, according to myself. As I approached the market stand, which was littered with the usual junk Seagrave peddled, I saw that I was not going to be the first customer of the day.

Holmes spoke in a cordial tone to whomever she was and seemed to be on friendly terms. He leaned one elbow on the stack of trunks to his left and gave it a pat or two, then a smile. She nodded emotionlessly, then glared over at me as I joined the duo. One lock of pitch black hair hung from under the hood she tugged closer.

"Welcome, welcome, sir! It's not the time to open, but what kind of man would I be if I turned down good money?" he chirped, hands clasped and smiling broadly.

I shot a quick glance at the woman who still stood there, cold and unmoving. Eyes hard as stone. Her fists were clenched in anticipation of my movements.

 _"Watching me out of the corner…"_ I thought as I tried my best to not give her any more reason to watch me. "Yeah, I saw something on your shelf the other day and was wondering the price. Grognak, Jungle of the Bat Babies?"

Holmes shoved toolboxes and scrap metal around on his shelf with his palms. A few clanks echoed in the hangar as said tools and metal collided with the floor, until he pulled the comic from under a broken desk fan. "You mean this thing? Sure, not like everyone is itching to read a pre-war comic anyway. Collectors aren't common if you catch my drift."

The woman next to me stirred, then walked away, the clacking of her steps a rhythmic punctuation of her departure. Somehow, though, I was sure she was still watching me, even with her back to me. I looked as she carefully moved, almost as if she were hesitating to make any sound at all, despite not being anything resembling silence.

Holmes snapped his fingers at me, "No, sir, don't even think about it. Keep your head in the comics, alright?"

I offered a disinterested glance back to him, and a shrug. "You know her?" I whispered, hoping she wouldn't hear me.

"No, I don't," Holmes declared, "And neither do you," he said with emphasis, "Keep it that way, and let's talk about this fantastic deal you and I were making!" he returned with the same confidence he typically had during his claim to have anything and everything at his store, "Since it's not worth too much other than being a coaster, I'll let you have it for about fifteen caps. Sound fair?"

I looked back to where the woman had gone. "Good enough," I agreed and counted out the caps to the shopkeeper's eager hands. He dropped them in a pristine cash register and slammed the cabinet shut.

"Never get tired that sound!" he said, enthused by his monetary gain, "Thanks for the business. Will you be needing anything else? Maybe a new mug for all your favorite drinks?" he said, presenting a shiny, ceramic mug with a crack filled with plaster to hold it together like it was the hottest item on the market.

By that point, I had already walked away. I didn't have much time to waste since Josef was probably already getting impatient, assuming the RV, newly christened "Bucket" hadn't ceased to function in the past day. He was rather proud of the ugly beast, for what, I don't know. It looked as mutant as the rest of the Capital Wasteland.

I opened the ship door and stepped into the corridor, inspecting my new purchase for any peculiarities. I was pleased to find out that everything was in order, and Grognak was still preserved in all his barbaric glory despite his long journey. I chuckled at the thought of my obsession as a child. That single issue of Grognak I had received on my tenth birthday was among my prized possessions, and one of my only possessions, come to think of it. How happy I would have been to own not just one book, but two. I closed the issue and dropped it to my side just before I came face to face with the other customer.

With a hand outstretched, she brought my stride to a sudden halt with the efficiency of a brick wall. Burning eyes like a slab of metal snatched fresh and still glowing from the heat scanned me up and down from underneath a ragged hood. With the other hand, she brushed the free hanging hair from in front of her face and tucked it back in its place. She folded her arms and planted her feet to resist the strongest of winds, or perhaps just a distracted vault dweller. The woman took one step closer, and glowered directly at my face, some deep-seated worry evident in her expression underneath the intensity.

"What's your name?" she demanded, still inches from my face and still studying me intently.

"Uh, Paul…" I stammered, expecting her to inspect me like a piece of furniture as she continued to stare me down, "Yours?" I finally had the nerve to ask.

She apparently didn't hear the question. Her face drew into a frown and she stepped back, slouching and head lowered. "Not him, then. Sorry, I…" she trailed off, then took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I'm looking for someone important to me. You appear to be a trustworthy person, so would you mind pointing me in the right direction? My…" she started, then recoiled, "I came here with my friend," the woman stated, "Some terrible people were after us, and we got split up along the way, but everything I've heard says that he made it here. He's got a shaved head, on the tall side and maybe wearing some dark clothing. Probably a coat."

I shook my head in confusion. "Sorry. I haven't seen anyone like that. But I certainly know what it feels like to look for someone, so we're kindred spirits there," I assured, then felt some distant regret for my last conversation with Dad. Too bad the reunion couldn't have been as perfect as I wanted in no small part to myself.

She remained silent for a moment as if cursing herself for even conversing. "Yes, I guess we are," she said robotically and tried to leave without another word.

"A name would help me find you if I see your friend," I said, stopping her only a moment.

She seemed to tense up at the request, but not in a natural way. It was a sign of pain. "Sorry, but I can't," she concluded and brushed by me like a breeze, though perhaps a gale force wind is a more apt description of her. Nothing could've prevented her from doing as she pleased, and I'm glad that I, for once, was not stupid enough to try. Back into the depths of Rivet City, she went, without another word and one noting, daring glare back at me.

Still, I could never forget the feeling I had when she stood there. Not a feeling like you may think, even though I will admit she was beautiful, more so than anyone I have ever met or probably ever will. There was something more. Brief as the exchange may have been, it was like my entire body, hell, my soul if you can believe it, was frozen solid for one solitary second. Like her presence caused some deep instinct to trigger that screamed for me to escape her and never look back. Like I was face-to-face with what could very well be the end of me without a single peep before it happened. I tried to push it down as just needless anxiety and tension leftover from the day before, or maybe a simple fabrication, but then I felt something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up:

Her skin. It was like a sheet of hot metal.

* * *

The revving of the engine drowned out the Buddy Clark's voice playing out from the crackling radio speakers. Other than those two noises, the RV was eerily silent. I took in the scenes passing us by while Josef huffed and cursed with every dip in the road, which meant constantly since the good old Capital of the United States had done very little work to maintain the roadways in 2277. Same places as our initial journey to Rivet City, and in the oddest sense, it felt like a return to form to be heading to Megaton. It was certainly one I didn't expect.

"I'm not going to judge," Ana began as I groaned under my breath, "But was it really worth running off?" she inquired from behind me. She reached into the fridge and removed a half-empty bottle of Nuka-Cola.

I placed my feet on the dash and folded my arms, "Yeah, I think it was. That's all that matters," I shot back, hoping it would be the end of it. I could practically hear Ana scoffing at me, and see her expression harden in the mirror above me.

"I guess that would be true if we didn't risk our asses for you to get here. Or you could think about it this way," she held her hands up to present the magnificent idea, "He's your dad. Stick it out and fix things because family matters. Simple, huh?"

I grumbled a few curses and sank deeper into the chair, "Easy to say when you always knew the truth about your life. You had a big, cushy tower with a bunch of rich people to call home and no one to lie to you. You didn't' get kicked out under the threat of death because the only family you had did something without considering everyone else. You left willingly and can go home whenever the hell you want to."

"So you never really cared to find your dad because you were worried?" she said, "All you wanted was answers? Would it have been all the same to you if we had just found a piece of paper from him saying," she lowered her tone to mock him, "Hello, son. Everything I told you was a lie. Goodbye forever?"

I turned around to face her, growing more irritated as she insisted on pressing harder "No, I still would've wanted to find him."

"So it wasn't about the answers then?" prodded Ana.

"It can be about two damn things if I want it to be, can it not?" I fired back.

"Not when you act like one is a lot more important than the other."

Josef patted his hands on the steering wheel, "Ladies, ladies, there's no need to get all worked up," he said to ease the tension, "If Paul wants to take some time to cool off, then it's fine by me. Especially since he got us the rest of our debt," he said, a big grin spreading across his face. "I can just feel the weight lifted off my shoulders already!"

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Jo. We still need to make it back to Megaton in one piece," Ana advised, again taking a stance of reason.

"But it feels good, doesn't it?" he said, smiling wide once again and looking back. One moment was all it took for him to run down a trash can, though, which garnered a shouted expletive in the next moment. "Say, where did you find all the caps at anyway?" Josef asked, turning his attention to me.

I squirmed in my seat, disturbed by the question and my adventure with Hagan. "Some old bounty hunter wanted help offing a raider, so I helped him out and he paid a bit better than I thought he was going to," I put simply.

I could hear Ana shift at the mention of a bounty hunter. "Ugh, I've never been a fan of those kinds of people. They always get involved with people's business when they aren't needed. And even worse, they kill people like it's just some kind of normal office job," she ranted, distaste in her tone, "Usually, they just make a bigger mess than there was in the first place, and walk off a good bit richer."

"There's not any of them that don't kill?" I asked, struck by her tone.

"Oh, I'm sure pre-war ones weren't too bad. I've heard there were laws back then for just about everything. It wasn't like the way things are now. Heck, I'm pretty sure you had to have some a license to drive anything, and there were even rules that everyone followed!"

"Sounds like that wouldn't fly too well with people nowadays," Josef observed. "Bet they had an age limit on stuff as well," he mocked, "I learned how to shoot when I was five, and look at me! I'm still in one piece!"

"Barely, by the sound of some your experiences," I interjected, pushing his shoulder.

"Better than waiting until I was nineteen and still not knowing," he said innocently and with a laugh.

I smirked, hoping that my push to the next topic would prove fruitful. "Yeah, I guess so. And by the by, that bounty hunter said some weird shit yesterday. It was like he knew you or something, Jo. Your name and everything. He wanted me to tell you he says howdy."

Josef shook his head, still in good cheer. "Wouldn't be surprised if he did. I've interacted with a few hunters in my day, even been on a few hunts myself," he explained as we crested a hill, engine roaring all the while, "What was his name?"

"Hagan" I said calmly.

The cheer vanished, dried up like a riverbed in a drought. Josef tapped the brakes on impulse and tightened his knuckles around the wheel. He shuddered visibly as his mouth moved to form silent words.

"Hey, watch it!" Ana scolded, holding the wall to regain her balance.

Josef paid her no mind but instead seemed to gaze into at the road as a means of escaping the oddity of his reaction. A few moments of uncomfortable silence ensued until he deiced to break it. "Hagan, huh? That old geezer is still alive? How's he look?"

"Like he tried to do the tango with a wood chipper. Does it matter? He clearly knew you from somewhere and you clearly know him. What's that about?" I pressed intensively. I placed my feet on the floor and swiveled around towards him.

"Nothing," said Josef with all the confidence of a recluse, "Just got in some trouble once and he helped me get out of it. That's all," he downplayed once again, patting the steering wheel in rhythm with the song playing softly from the radio.

"Can I be frank, Josef?" I said to his unsurprisingly avoidant response, "You've been dodgy about any questions I ask about your past. Every time something comes up, you find a way to push it off until some later day, which I suppose is deemed as a better time. What's wrong with now?" I furrowed my brow and froze my expression, "I've been upfront with you about everything and you still won't let me know what's going on."

Josef gave me that same look he always did as if to ask what I was talking about. Upon seeing my sureness this time, the expression broke. "Alright, alright," he sighed, defeated at last and loosening his grip on the steering wheel.

Another stretch of silence.

"Well?" I pushed.

"I told you about the farm my family had, right?" he asked yet offered me no time to respond, "Well it all started back there when I was," he looked up, counting the years in his head, "Probably only sixteen or so. Somewhere in there. See, my brother and I were always butting heads over everything. You name it," he emphasized, "We fought over it. We always made up in the end, but the thing about having a sibling is the older you get, the bigger your fights get. When you're little, you fight over who gets to play with the new toy first, but when you get older you fight over more important stuff, like who uses the gun to fight off the local raiders when they come to play," he lectured, watching carefully a molerat that darted in front of the wheel, yet escaped by just a hair, "It was always back and forth, stupid rivalry after stupid rivalry, but I always fancied myself the responsible one."

"Was that true?"

Josef shrugged. "Not according to my parents. Around that time, they were thinking it was time for them to retire after they had the years before raiding settlements and then settling down on a farm like a few softies. Life was catching up to them quick, and they figured it would be better to start handing over the responsibilities to one of us," he said as he reached down and twisted a knob that I didn't know the function of. "So one day, they bring us outside and sit us down," Josef smiled wistfully as he recalled the day, "I remember Pop, big old beard and all, sitting there in his chair smoking the biggest cigar I've ever seen while Mom stomped through the house. Nice day, all in all, while we sat there on the steps," Josef described, clearly fond of the place, "He started out all congratulatory, saying, 'Boys, we've been talkin' for the past few weeks, and I think it's time we let you know what we've decided. You're both growing up to be good men, and we think it's time we treat you like it,'" he continued, getting lost in the story.

"Sounds like the farm was a nice place," I commented, "Why'd you leave?"

"Because I was young and stupid," he stated, "The rest of that conversation ended with my brother being given full reign over the farm, and me still being just the younger brother. I got pissed off, accused them of treating me like I was just a kid, sucker punched my brother in the gut and stormed off. That night, I packed my bags with supplied, took my pistol and made off like a bandit," he winced at that part of the memory, "Didn't even stop to say goodbye," he said expression breaking slightly.

"Over that? It doesn't seem like a big deal," I said as we ran over a large pothole that nearly bounced me out of my seat.

"Yeah, but try telling me that back then. Probably would've punched you, too. Either way, I struck out on my own and started wandering. Worked as a caravan guard, solved a murder mystery and took any other job that floated my way. After about two years I started to get homesick, and since I wasn't angry anymore, I decided I should go back and let them know that I was still alive. See how my family was doing."

"Oh, so the hardened merc Josef wanted to hang up the gun and settle back down to be a rancher?" teased Ana.

"No, I was happy in my line of work. Just wanted them to know that I had found my own way and that I realized I acted like a little bitch. Didn't expect to come back to just my brother. Turns out, about three months after I left, Dad died in his sleep, and Mom got shot by a group of travelers during a misunderstanding not too long after," said Josef lacking his usual upbeat demeanor, "My brother blamed me for it, and we fought right there on the same steps we saw each other last. I took him down without much trouble since I had lived on the road for the past couple of years, but things turned nasty when he pulled a knife on me."

"Jesus," Ana muttered from her place in the RV.

"We wrestled for a while longer, 'till he got me in the shoulder. Still got the scar to prove it, but it might be lost in the rest of them, come to think of it. Anyway, I finally got free and took off. And the last thing I heard from him was a string of cussing and a gunshot. He missed, though. Always was shit with a gun," Josef said conclusively, then seemed to end his story there. "Never looked back. Kept wandering and ended up here sooner or later. The end."

"Not to sound insensitive or anything, but that didn't answer how Hagan knows you," I added to reopen the story.

Josef jerked again, "Here I am pouring my guts out and you still ask for more. Well, fair enough. During my travels, I found out that it was much smarter to travel in a group, so I started looking for one. Eventually found one that would take me, and ran with them for a while. They were decent guys, some of them, but uh…" Josef trailed off, recoiling as the next part fluttered through his mind. He scratched at his neck nervously, then placed both hands back on the steering wheel. "Things got…out of hand…on a job. I mean, _really_ out of hand…" he choked out as if the words unnerved him, "Some people died that weren't supposed to and we…had to lay low for a while. So many people were wanting our heads, and I had to look over my shoulder if I so much as went outside to take a piss. It fucked me up pretty bad for a while. Eventually, someone must've put a hit out on us, because Hagan rolled around. I knew what he was there for, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't terrified," Josef shuddered, when recalling the memories of potentially being on the receiving end of the bounty hunter's wrath, "But, strange as it was, he decided not to shoot me. He helped me get out of the place I was in. Let me live for some reason, but promised he'd, and I quote, 'Rip my asshole open and shove a grenade all the way up to my throat if I ever fucked up that badly again.'"

"That's disgusting," Ana remarked.

"From what I experienced, that sounds exactly like something he would say," I muttered, the vulgarity right in character for the old man.

"Does that satisfy your curiosity?" Josef asked mockingly, "No more climbing through my shit?"

"For now," I conceded, fiddling with the radio that appeared to stop functioning and only offered crackling static.

"Maybe you'll think like me and go back to your dad before too long. Like Ana said: family is important, Paul. Maybe the most important thing out here. I can't ever tell my parents that I got everything all figured out, and I can't even know if they ever forgave me. Hell, I don't even know if they were mad or plain worried."

At long last, I had some answers out of him, but I had a feeling there was more to it than he wanted to admit. Worst of all, that last statement struck home all too heavily as we continued our drive back to Megaton. It hung in my head and buzzed around like an annoying gnat that you just couldn't swat away. Family was more important than I acted.

* * *

Familiar dust clouds blew here and there across the hills near Megaton in an oddly comforting way. The broken down, skeletal town that was once Springvale became a welcome sight, as it at least meant I wouldn't be seeing any of the more gruesome terrors that called the deep ruins home. And sitting in the crater was that same junk town I had began to miss, dirty, rusty and collapsing as usual.

"So, first things first," Josef began, "We go over to Moira's and drop off the money. After that I don't really give a damn," he insisted as he slowed the pace of Bucket, bringing it back to the garage he had claimed. "And once again, thank you, Paul the Great and Generous for saving me and Ana from wasting our time digging around for Robo-Adam and Robo-Eve."

"Who?" Ana chirped.

"Zimmer's robots. I figured it was going to be a dead-end if I ever saw one."

"Ah."

"You guys are welcome, really," I said, reaching into the floor and sifting through the few belongings I had left with me. It was too bad I didn't have my bag, it had been my constant companions across the wasteland and it felt strange to be missing the useful thing. "I just felt like I needed to give something back after going on this road-trip with me."  
"Ha, you're all heart, Paul," Ana jeered as she opened the door and took a step outside. She stretched to the sky and twisted her neck to loosen up, "Feels good to be up and walking again. All this sitting's going to make me fat and lazy."

"Maybe we should've dropped you off a mile or so…" I began as I too stepped out of the vehicle, but trailed off as I heard a curious sound. I cupped my hand over my ear and stepped out of the garage. "You two hear that?" I asked, the rattling noise filling the air.

Josef tossed his old pistol to me, "Sounds like trouble, c'mon," he commanded while he rushed past me and towards the gate.

I followed close behind as all three of us ran to the location of the sound, which I was dreading more and more with each passing moment. Down the road and up the hill to Megaton we went, as the noise grew louder and louder. Finally, we crested the hill and spotted the source of the noise.

"Son of a bitch," I said to myself as I leaped behind a large rock jutting up from the ground.

During our absence, the local raider gang had gotten brave. So brave, in fact, that they decided it was time to terrorize the citizens of Megaton more often than they already did. I imagine it was due to the notable absence of Lucas Simms, as well as the new vehicle they had thrown together: a rail buggy. One hung over the edge of the buggy, holding his rifle above his head with one hand, howling and whooping like a madman while the other controlled the minigun they had strapped to the front of the vehicle.

"Listen up!" the wild one shouted as the other ceased firing, "You fucks only have 'till tomorrow to hide behind that damn wall! If you come out now, then we can talk things out and maybe not kill every last fucking one of you! Something to think about!" he screamed, then cackled like a madman, "Think about it boys and girls, think about it!" he advised again as the duo drove away, bouncing over the hills and dips and back towards the road to Springvale Elementary, cheering and still shouting threats.

I pushed myself out of their view and aimed my pistol to fire at them, thoroughly pissed that for two days in a row I had to deal with raiders.

Josef slapped my hand away, "Are you insane? They have a car with a damn minigun on it!" he chastised, "Jesus, think a little. Let's go see how everyone inside is doing before we bring more trouble to our doorstep."

"Can't imagine they're doing very well," I muttered as the three of us ran towards the gate.

"Stockholm!" Josef shouted to the guardsman cowering above, "Let us in!"

"You three get in here, quick! It's like Boppo all over again!" Stockholm shouted from above. The gate rattled and roared as it opened wide for us to enter, then dropped back down again just as we passed under it. As we opened the fence, we were met with a grim sight.

Three townspeople had been mowed down in the attack, and another lay bleeding out on the ground, his legs simply tatters. Blood was splattered on the junk walls and dusty earth, seeping into the sand and staining the metal. Red shouted for help as multiple others stood around in horror. She looked away for just a moment as someone finally followed her orders, then back to the man, and saw that he had bled out in just those few moments.

"Son of a…" she shouted in grief and beat her fist on the ground. She seemed to accept defeat for just a moment but had no time to fully process it.

Another woman approached her and kicked her directly in the ribs, sending the Big Town doctor sprawling on the ground.

"This is all your fault!" she screamed, tears running down her face as she prepared for another kick, "You and the rest of the outsiders! You should've never come here!" Red took that next kick like a champion, but I stepped between the next.

I grabbed the woman's leg and pulled her off her feet, sending her to the ground as well. "Lay the fuck off!" I roared, "She's more useful than you are!" I insulted and held my hand out to the surprised Red. "You okay?" I asked as I pulled her up.

Red didn't answer but nodded fearfully.

I shot another glare at the woman who was being collected by another man. Out of nowhere, Shorty leaped on the man's back and began slamming his fist into whatever body part he was able to reach. The other man clawed at Shorty, but couldn't peel him off. Others began to pull on the little man until he let go, then they tossed him in my direction. Shorty rolled across the ground, then scrambled over to Red's side.

"C'mon, man, kick their ass or something!" Shorty pleaded and pointed his finger at the crowd.

"That many people? Really?" I asked, irritated at the notion.

More shouts came from other Megatonites, some calling for an end to the violence while others cheered the new combatants on. More still shouted for the removal of the new residents from Big Town, and began to chant in unison. The growing chaos was boiling over into a small riot, and it was becoming more than Josef and I could handle. I pushed one angry Megatonite back, another tried to join the brawl. It seemed like everyone had lost their collective minds in our absence, and we had returned at the worst possible time.

I hated to even think about it, but I began to reach for my gun, fearing that the only thing to bring an end to the madness was with a stronger push than I had been giving. Trouble was, though, that I was not the only person armed in the crowd. As they became more and more restless, I knew that one stray bullet, one loud bang, would set the powder keg off.

Luckily, I wasn't the one to fire the first shot, and even more fortunate, it came from someone in clear view, enough to put some fears immediately to rest.

"That's fucking enough!" Ana screamed over the angry crowd, rifle pointed to the sky.

Several people dove to the ground while others covered their heads in terror. Others paid her no mind as she continued her tirade.

"Every last one of you needs to get a grip!" she screamed again, climbing on a crate and looking over the crowd. She burned with anger as a few members of the crowd began to turn to her. "This isn't their fault and it isn't yours! It's those assholes outside the walls! They killed these people, they attacked you and they threatened you! Ripping each other limb from limb isn't going to solve a damn thing, and it'll just make their job easier when they come back tomorrow!"

"Why don't you just go fu-"

"Let her speak, dammit!" another townie cut him off.

Ana continued, undeterred, "You're all afraid, and that's okay, but hurting these people isn't going to change the fact of the matter. They're innocent!" she proclaimed over the crowd becoming more interested in her than their impromptu riot, "If you want to make a difference, grab your guns and run these bastards out of town!"

That turned more than a few heads, and garnered a surprised huff from me in the chaos.

"Get that crazy bitch down from there!" someone shouted.

"What are you afraid of anyway? If they come back, they'll wipe all of you out in your own homes! Isn't it better to go down fighting than to die in your sleep? Afraid?" she asked, impassioned by her own speech, "How about this?" she began as she raised her rifle, Orange, to the sky. "If all of you stop being little bitches and grow a pair, we can put every one of them in the ground! No more running!" she grabbed Orange with both hands, "No more hiding!" she shouted as loudly as possible. "Who's with me?"

Not a member of the crowd responded, but at the very least, they had quieted down save for a few worried whispers. I could tell Ana was beginning to get worried that her speech was all for naught, that they all still feared the raiders more than they cared for their lives.

"Did you all miss what I just said?" she pleaded, "You have a chance to change things! You can stop hiding behind walls and take something for yourself! Grab your weapons and stand with me, and we'll make them regret ever messing with this town!" she ushered holding her hand out to whoever would take it. "So, I'll ask again! Who's with me?"

"I am!" Josef shouted immediately after, raising his gun to the sky as well and staring at the restless crowd. He took his place next to her.

"I am!" I shouted, doing the same without a second thought.

"Fuck it! If Josef and 101 are into this, why aren't we?" Billy Creel shouted as he stepped out of the crowd, hand held high. Suspicious glares were locked to him, and a few pitied laughs filled the air.

"She's right and you know it! We've been hiding way too long! It's time we fight back!" he agreed as he stood among us, glaring back at them with his one eye.

"I am! Let's do this, girl!" Jackie shouted, raising a baseball bat above her head, and standing next to me. "Let's teach those asses what happens when you mess with us!" she continued, then swung the bat at nothing, making a pow noise in the process.

"As am I!" Red-Hair shouted, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He strode over to the middle of our growing coalition, eyes locked on me, strangely, plasma rifle held high.

"Yer all fucking nutters!" Moriarty shouted from atop a walkway, "Ev'ry last one of ya. Ya don't just go lookin' fer raiders, you just pray to God that they leave ya the hell alone."

"Y'know what?" Leo Stahl said, then extended both middle fingers to Moriarty, "Fuck you! It's time we all stop hiding! I want to kick some raider ass! This won't be like last time with Boppo!"

"Is that it?" I boomed at the crowd, fist clenched over my gun, "These are the only people that care enough to fight back?"

Flash joined our crew as well, wordless yet stone-faced and hand held high. And then the joining stopped.

We had our guns, and we had our resolve, yet the numbers made me nervous. Only eight against who knew how many raiders, but at least one crisis was averted as the riot petered out. Angry citizens dispersed to either go into hiding or help clean up the dead until those of us who chose to fight stood together.

Ana leaped down from the crate and while we all grouped up.

"All right, Boss Lady, you got us to join up for this shit-show. What now?" Creel asked, adjusting his eye patch and stuffing his gun back into its holster.

"Well, first we ought to figure out what we're good at," she stated without a stutter, "I'm good at picking off long range targets, but I'm no good up close and personal. Josef, you're good all around, and, Paul, you've got close range covered," she observed, "What can the rest of you do?"

"I can help you pick off a few targets," Red-Hair acknowledged, holding his rifle, "Or I can go anywhere else I'm needed."

"That's good, you can stick with me…" Ana commanded, pointing her finger at the yet unnamed man,

Again, he looked over at me, and just as I had noted during one of our past meetings, he seemed to smile slightly, "Graham," he said smoothly.

"Graham then. What else?" Ana asked, strolling around the group and taking stock of our members.

Billy patted his holster, "I'm no stranger to gunfights or raiders. Working as a caravan guard will do that to you. Just put me where you want me and I'll figure the rest out," he claimed with charisma. "Besides, I've got to do this for Maggie."

Ana's expression seemed to grow a bit brighter as we began to stack some skilled members, then turned her eye to the others to silently nudge them as well.

Each of the remaining members looked at each other as if doubting their own collective abilities. Truly inspiring, it was, to see each of them act like a deer caught in headlights. Flash coughed nervously, Leo avoided everyone's gaze and Jackie just accepted the disappointment. Needless to say, none of them were ideal people to have at your back, but we did want more bodies. That's what we got, for better or worse.

"So that's it, huh? Just us I guess," Ana said, attempting to hide her disdain for their lack of ability. "Well, it still looks pretty good."

"Uh, can I just ask one question?" Jackie piped up with her hand raised like we were in a classroom. "It's great that we have a kick-ass team and all, but does any of us even know what it looks like in the building? We have nothing on the layout, so how will we know where they're hiding at?" she noted attentively.

"Oh! Me next!" Flash exclaimed, raising his hand as well, "How about that old man in Moriarty's? He used to be a raider, didn't he? Maybe he can help? He says he a pretty good shot, too."

"Jericho?" Ana said, assuming the identity of the man in question, "Good idea," she sighed, somewhat relieved at the chance of adding another member to our force. "But he just sits there drinking all day. He might take some convincing. I'll start working on that and…" she looked around for someone to take up her next task, "Josef," she chose after a few moments of thought, "You head over to Moira's and see if she can offer any help. Maybe she can lend a hand somehow," she ordered.

"Ugh," Josef replied with a shudder, "Alright, but if I come back with another limb or a second head, just go ahead and put me out of my misery," he complained as he proceeded to Craterside Supply.

"And give her the money while you're there!" Ana called out as he walked out of view, then turned her attention back to us. "Paul, you can stick with me. The rest of you gather up whatever you have and meet me back here in one hour, and we'll talk plans. Hopefully I'll have an idea of what it's like in there by then. Sound good?" she explained and clapped her hands.

Our forces dispersed and went to their collective homes to do as they were ordered, while I stood in awe of what had happened.

"Where did all this come from?" I asked Ana, who sat down on the crate and took a deep breath. I joined but made my place on the dusty path, still giddy in excitement. "I mean, you were good at leading us back at Tenpenny Tower, but you were just coordinating Josef and I. Right there, you just stopped a riot and turned them into comrades in one fell swoop," I congratulated in surprise. "And you're even Boss Lady to Billy, now. How about that?"

Ana cupped her face in her hands and tried to slow her breathing. "I have no idea what came over me, to be honest. I just started yelling and went with it. They were the ones who made their choice, but now I hope I'm not just rallying us up to go kill ourselves," she admitted, and stretched her visibly trembling arms out, "Still shaking, huh? I hope none of them could see it. You think they did?" she asked, voice quaking as well.

"I doubt it. I didn't. Besides, wasn't that part of your speech? Better to die fighting than to die afraid?" I repeated shaking my hand in the air like I was a knight holding a blade.

"That wasn't too over-the-top, was it? Oh jeez, I was so nervous. I think I'm going to be sick," she muttered as she stood up and shook her hands like they soaking wet.

"Just make sure they don't see you. It'd be a real morale raiser to see the leader puking before the fight even starts," I advised, but she probably wasn't listening by that point. I assumed it was for the best to give her a moment to collect herself, and decided to check on Red.

She still lingered nearby, rubbing the point of impact from her earlier scuffle. Red winced as she pressed on the area, but seemed relieved nonetheless. A broken rib would've been an unnecessary event.

"How're you doing?" I asked the young doctor.

"Well enough, I suppose," she said, eyes cast downward, "That really hurt."

"I can imagine."

"It didn't help that she was right, either," Red continued, exasperated, "We've been nothing but a burden on everyone here. We can't expand outside the walls since we have no way of defending ourselves. And while we're all packed in here, there's only so much room to go around, not to mention food as well. Now, with Walter having issues at the purification plant it's…really coming to a head." she explained.

"There's something wrong with the purification plant?"

Red fiddled with the knot on her bandana, then adjusted the angle across her forehead, "Yeah. I heard Walter saying that there's probably a blockage in the tunnel below town. The pipes run through there and to an underground spring. He's been talking about heading down there, but I think he's getting too old to be going spelunking. He won't let anyone else go, though. He says that it's not safe."

"Hm, I'm sure someone can go down there and fix it," I assumed, "But besides that, why can't we just grow more food?" I inquired, dumbly I might add, and completely subverting the water issue that was sure to be my issue sooner or later.

"Expanding the crops isn't an option either, not while there are too many people here in the first place," said Red folding her arms and wincing again in pain, "The town can't get any larger inside these walls, so all we'll do is cram people even closer together and cause another problem."

"Sounds like you've thought about this," I observed, looking as one of the victims of the attack was covered and taken away to be buried.

"Quite often, to tell the truth. I started thinking about it right after we got here. I could tell that the townsfolk didn't like us showing up without anything to offer, and it was only a matter of time before a day like today happened, so I had an idea. Shorty and I went adventuring down the road and found a few places that'd we could fix up in Springvale. They won't be as safe as in here, not until we start doing some work on them, but it'll still be safer than Big Town and it'll alleviate the people feeling cramped in here."

"And after you've moved out there, then the town can grow a bit. Grow more food and solve that issue as well," I surmised, smiling slightly, "You really have thought this one out, haven't you?"

Red shook her head, "It's not perfect, but it's a start. But tell me, do you see one issue with the plan?"

"Other than the town still having a high population of assholes?"

"Yes, but other than that. We can't move out there with a whole gang of raiders within throwing distance of us. That'd be like begging them to come over and slaughter us," Red pointed out as she blew a speck of dust from her glasses.

"So if we clean them out…"

"…Then you kill two birds with one stone, no pun intended. And that's why all of you need to take this thing seriously, not that I need to tell you that. If you can get rid of them all, then we can do our part and make everyone's lives easier," Red offered, grinning subtly as she took pride in her plan, "I hope you won't mind helping me and the others from Big Town out again. It may not mean anything to you, but I think some of the people around here trust you, myself included. Even I've heard the rumors about what you did for them after that man killed the Sherriff, and I won't ever forget how you helped us get here."

I grimaced as I recalled my failure to protect all the Big Towners, but took the thanks nonetheless. It was not the time for regrets; it was time to keep myself from adding to the list of them. I gave my best reassuring smile to Red and patted her on the shoulder. "Well, if that's how it has to go, I guess you'd better start calling by dibs on your favorite house, then."

* * *

One thing had improved in Moriarty's Saloon since we had left, and no, the greedy bastard wasn't dead yet. However, the radio was no longer playing static at an annoying volume but instead had Three Dog woofing through the speaker loud and clear. It was news time when we entered, and it was the same as always: The Brotherhood of Steel had accomplished some impressive feat to make everyone's lives that much safer. During that broadcast, Three Dog reminded everyone that the local "favorite" Knight-Commander, Morgan Banks, had led a magnificent attack on the Mall super mutants, effectively wiping out more than half of their forces and frightening the rest into hiding. He even earned himself a promotion in the process, according to Three-Dog, to the illustrious rank of Paladin.

I'm sure he probably wished I was among the dead mutants, but I digress.

Jericho was sprawled out in his usual chair in the corner of the room, cigar still burning in the ashtray on the table, right next to the bottle of whiskey he sipped from incessantly. "What the fuck do you want?" he spat as Ana and I approached, tilting the bottle back once more.

"Heard you were a pretty good shot and wondered if it was true," Ana said, placing one hand on the table and leaning over it.

"Not for you I'm not, crazy bitch," he said after another gulp, "Yeah, I heard about your little gathering, and I heard you screaming from all the way in here. Now get out of my face, I'm busy," Jericho sneered, then fell into a coughing fit.

Ana frowned, not ready to give up but not sure how to proceed. "Look, Jericho, I came to you because…"

"Whiskey, huh?" I interrupted her plea, "That your favorite?" I asked and picked up the bottle to read the label.

"Give that back!" Jericho shouted. He shot up from the chair and immediately put his hand to his head. He swayed back and forth as the world slowly became balanced once again, then tried to grab the bottle again.

I stepped out of the way and he stumbled forward, "Hang on. If you play nice you get it back," I joked, holding it up high while Jericho grabbed for support from the bar.

"Go fuck yourself!" he shouted, then spat a big, black glob at me.

I looked at the ground and chuckled. "Wrong move," I claimed, then turned the bottle upside down. The contents drained onto the floor and splashed on my boots.

"Oi, stop makin' a mess of me floors and stop harassin' me customers!" Moriarty shouted as he left his room in the back to see what the commotion was.

The bottle crashed into the wall behind him in the next moment and he returned to the back room once again with his hands guarding against the shattered glass.

Jericho blinked a few times, eyes wide in disbelief. He took a few cautious steps towards the puddle and stared for around ten seconds before looking at me. "Fucking hell! That was good drink!" he whined and motioned at the ground as he tried to process what kind of monster would do such a thing.

"That got your attention, eh? A really horrifying image? Good!" I said cheerily, "Now think about this! Those raiders are going to come back and wipe the town off the face of the earth. How are you going to drink if you're dead?"

"You poured my drink out for that?" Jericho asked as he grew even more confused.

"No, I did it to get you to listen," I corrected, "Now my friend here has some questions she'd like to ask," I gestured to Ana, who smirked at the frustrated man, "And you're going to answer each one of them. Alright?"

Jericho appeared to mentally weigh his options, no small feat being as inebriated as he was. Come to think of it, that may have been the only reason he entertained the notion in the first place. Still, he stumbled back to his chair and sank down. "Fine, you've proved your point," he slurred, "And you've got balls, too," he admitted, then another coughing fit, "What do you want to know?"

Ana pulled up a chair to the table and sat down, "You ever been in the building? What's it look like in there?"

Jericho belched and beat his chest, "Yeah, I've been there once. Years ago. Place probably wasn't as shitty back then, but it was still ruined, and had a lot less assholes, too," he observed, "Inside is set up like any old school building would've been: hallways, lockers, and classrooms branching off from those hallways. There's a room right inside the door that splits off into two hallways and circles back around. It ain't exactly a complicated fucking layout," he rattled off, digging the cigar in the ashtray deeper into the ashes. He then pulled another from his jacket pocket and lit it.

"How many floors?" Ana asked while he inhaled a lung-full of smoke.

"Three. The top two have different layouts, but again, it ain't no damn rocket science," he laughed, "And you fucking know what? Those kids in there now, they ain't shit anyway. None of 'em are nowadays," Jericho started, signifying a good-old-days story about to unfold right in front of us, "All of 'em would turn around and let you dry-fuck their gang if you offered them enough drugs or caps. They ain't got no loyalty, no honor!" Jericho shouted and blew a ring of smoke into the air, "Not like me and my boys did!"

Ana seemed to take some distant delight in his last comment, but ultimately brought an end to his reminiscing. "How about them, then? What do you know about their schedule? What's a good time to make our move?"

Jericho tapped his cigar and coughed, "Probably still doing the same shit they did back when Boppo was calling the shots: fucking people up during the day, then _getting_ fucked up all night. Usually, two in the morning is the top of the ride for them. Completely out of their damn minds at that time. Should be a good time to get the drop on them if you really are wanting to do this," the man advised, speech slurring most of the words together.

Ana stood up and slid the chair under the table, "I guess that's it, then. Thanks, Jericho. You've been a big help," said she as we turned to leave the establishment.

"Hey," Jericho called out as we opened the door, "Don't go getting your asses put on ice. It'd be a shame to let those bastards think they're hot shit," he jeered, then laughed until another fit of coughing plagued him.

I closed the door behind me while Ana leaned on the railing just outside the saloon. "Now that that's taken care of, maybe everyone else has figured their parts out. What are you thinking?" I asked as I joined her in looking out over the town.

Ana scrunched up her nose and narrowed her eyes. "Other than hoping that we haven't lost any support already, I'm thinking that everyone needs to call it an early night because our morning's going to be early tomorrow," she remarked with a stern look on her face, "Two o'clock, to be exact."

* * *

 **Alrighty, that's another chapter done. I'll be honest, it's much easier to write a chapter when you know where you're going with it, but that three or so chapters left thing is beginning to look a lot more like "or so." I've got to work out some of the details for the next one and see how it'll play out before I decide if it needs to be broken up into two. At the very worst, you might end up with some 15k-odd-words beast of a chapter. Maybe more. I'll apologize with my fingers crossed if you do, then laugh evilly when I do it again.**

 **I'm sure some of you are getting tired of raiders being the main baddies considering they've been the focus for two chapters in a row, but see it as a last hurrah for them before I send them to the "enemies that have been out-leveled since chapter 15" bin. I'll be glad when I get to place them there and activate the garbage disposal, once again, laughing evilly and twirling my mustache.  
**

 **See you next time (hopefully soon, but don't hold your breath since I also have to fend off """""ideas"""""" for a _legendary_ crossover FF starring Geralt of Rivia and Shaquille O'Neal, featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series and Knuckles), same place, for Crossroads II. **

**We're really getting there, finally.  
**


	27. Crossroads II

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Crossroads II

 _~ September 15, 2277 ~_

Dark, but not a soul in Megaton slept. There was not enough peace to do so. Instead, the citizens held what loved ones, should they have any, close behind the walls they knew couldn't hold. The seconds ticked away as dawn awaited, supposedly their last. The tension was easily the thickest it had been, a culmination of the paranoia that began to form with the death of Lucas Simms.

Outside the walls, creatures of the night roamed under the freeing moon, rather than the oppressive sun of midday. It was their turf now and, energized when others would be resting, they hunted any being that made the mistake of being out. However, on this night, they would find new contenders to disrupt the field. Footsteps of the locals stealthily moved to their predetermined positions, using the moonlight to guide them. We were a new breed of hunters that sent many of the usual types running back home.

"Okay, everyone," Ana whispered through our collective earpieces, "Roll call. Can you hear me?"

All responded promptly.

"Good. I guess Moira doesn't carry _only_ junk. Now listen close. There are a few people wandering on the outside, Graham and I are going to take the ones up high. Paul, Jo, you move around behind the wall and make sure it's clear before we send in the eyebot," she ordered, "After that goes off, it's probably going hectic, so be ready."

Josef and I stepped over to the edge of the wall, while we watched the hill behind us.

A light flashed briefly at us from the ridge.

I flickered the screen on my Pip-Boy to show our location.

The next sound was a ringing pop, then a groan. Another joined the first, then a thud. Two down. It was time to make our move. Inside the former school building, two floors had collapsed. A trio of flashlights shined around the area as I ducked behind a collapsed pillar. Above, two raiders searched for the source of the gunshot, while another emerged from below and frantically inspected every corner that was dark. I could already hear the two above cursing at one another.

Josef hid under a desk as one approached his position.

"One'th coming around, Jothef. Right thide," I said, replacing the "s" with a false lisp so less noise would carry.

Josef squatted, knife ready, as the clueless raider strolled around to search another suspicious area.

I rapped my knuckles on the pillar. The raider was jumpy and distracted easily.

Josef emerged and dragged the surprised man into the shadows with barely a sound.

I peered past the pillar as the over two continued above. One was nearing a window; a perfect opening. "Ana, Graham, thecond floor. Third window from the left."

The figure was dropped seconds later as her flashlight rolled off the edge and to the floor below.

"What the fuck?" the remaining one shouted in desperation, "Stop hiding you fuckin' cowards! I know you're out there!" he said to the darkness as someone approached him from behind.

"Say g'night, bucko," Josef said to the final member of the trio, then kicked him out of the window to the ground below. He crashed with a wet smack on the asphalt and moved no more. "Element of surprise really makes a difference, doesn't it?" Josef said to all.

"Don't usually have that luxury. We're inclined to charge in, guns ablaze, aren't we?" I agreed as we moved back to the road to safety.

"Hang on, ladies and gentlemen, the eyebot will have to wait. We've got another player, coming out from Megaton," said Graham.

"Who is it?" asked Billy Creel.

"Mm," Ana hummed, no doubt squinting her eyes through the night-scope. A few seconds of uneasy silence followed as we prepared for the unknown guest. "It's Jericho!" Ana chirped.

I could hear the retired raider's usual coughing fits as he drew closer to the area, complete with questions to himself if he had just expelled blood in his coughing.

"Where you bitches at?" Jericho called out to us, passing by Creel and Flash's position without realizing it, "Stop hiding and come on out. I'm not going to play hide and seek!"

"Hey, man," Billy greeted, "Good to have you join the party. What changed your mind?"

"Any of your damn business?" said Jericho, prickly as ever, "Like hell I'm going to sit there and rot like some old gasbag. These punk-ass kids need to see what raiders looked like back in the old days," he said with a sadistic chuckle, sounding more like what I imagine he once was.

"Hey, everyone," Billy said through the earpiece, "We've just added one more. Is that a problem, Boss-Lady?"

"Eh, I pretty much figured he was going to come along. Moira didn't have another earpiece, though. Sorry," said Ana with a hint of disappointment.

"Is she talking through that? Can she hear me?" Jericho asked loudly, "Tell her I don't need some little girl ordering me around. I've been getting in shit since before she was even a thought in her daddy's head."

"Duly noted," Ana spoke again.

"Okay, so can we get on with this?" I pressured as a burst of static sounded from my faulty earpiece. It was fine before and I wasn't sure why the trouble was only starting when I needed to listen.

"I hope the both of you are clear. The eyebot is heading your way," said Graham after a series of beeps filled the air.

Soon, the buzzing of the bobbing, floating robot became the only sound other than howling wind to dance around us. The red, flashing bulb on the side of the explosive was one light source I was happy to be free of, as was the barely discernible scent of tar. I braced myself as it hovered by us, red pulses showing us the way to its destination. It bumped into the door and gently floated a few feet back, seemingly dazed from the impact.

It revved up for another collision. However, it did not explode as intended.

"Oh. Sorry, everyone. I didn't press the detonator," Graham said, earning a collective groan from everyone involved.

The eyebot revved up for one final motion and rushed to the doorway. I braced myself for the coming quake.

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The orange fireball that followed lit up the night as if the sun had risen early. Debris, both charred remains of the door and brick wall rained down from above and smashed on the ground. Smoke rose to the sky and clouded the stars as the flash dimmed gradually, crackling flames still burning around with enough fuel to sustain them.

I followed Josef back to where we had been and entered the lower doors while the main charge headed through the front, whooping and shouting to pump themselves up. Loud music from other floors filled the halls, sounding more like thumping than any kind of manner of song due to the extreme volume. The dim lights of the building were flickering from the blast. I turned on the light of my Pip-Boy and proceeded into the hallways, empty as they appeared to be. Gun pointed ahead, I checked every corner for a hidden foe, but consistently found nothing. Josef did the same, his brow furrowing in suspicion with each second of silence.

I began to wonder if we had simply chosen a bad floor to enter, but that seemed strange. One of the raiders outside had clearly come from the basement floor. "Ana?" I said in confusion, "The party doesn't seem to be happening down here. How's it looking on the other floors?" I asked.

She didn't respond.

I leaned against the stone wall, the booming of music vibrating the walls. I had anticipated another type of sound to overtake it, one sharp and piercing, but there was nothing. "Jo, are you getting anything?" I asked, becoming worried that I had a faulty piece of equipment.

He shook his head. "Not unless static counts," he muttered while a scowl began to grow. He shot glances side to side and cupped his hands around his ears. "With this damn music blasting, I can't hear anything anyway."

I pressed the button on my earpiece once again. Another burst of static responded instead of the slightly raspy voice I had expected. "Graham, what about you? Can you hear me?"

Still nothing. I beat my fist on the wall. This was no accident. I pressed the button to communicate once again, becoming desperate as the radio silence dragged on. "Ana, if you can hear this, something isn't right! I don't know what the problem is, but…"

The butt of a rifle colliding with my chest ended my sentence prematurely. I fell to the ground, breathless, and looked up to find the same one, reversed and pointed at my nose, the owner smiling and laughing in sheer glee. Five others stood side by side, guns aimed and ready at both Josef and myself.

"Holy shit! He was right!" the girl aimed at me exclaimed, "Ford was right! These idiots really were trying to sneak up on us!"

"'Course he was. He ain't a dumbass, and these townspeople are always so damn predictable," said another as he motioned at Josef with his rifle.

Josef, begrudgingly, raised his hands above his head and dropped his gun on the floor. "Son of a…" he began.

Not in the mood for any more speaking, the raider stopped him by smashing his gun into Josef's face. Josef fell backward on the tiled floor, hand on his mouth and blood dripping between his fingers.

"Alright, get them both tied up. Ford said he wants all of them in his room so he can decide what to do with 'em!" the girl shouted to the others.

They brought out the zip-ties and bound our hands, as if a gun being pushed into your spine wasn't enough deterrent, then stood us up. Next, they gathered our belongings and claimed what they believed their boss wouldn't want. After a few heated arguments about who claimed what, we were marched down the hall and into a stairwell leading to the next floor up. All the raiders kept their guns on us as if we were ready to spring into action at any moment and punish them. They were nervous, either because of us or because of what might happen should we escape.

I looked over at Josef as we ascended, wondering if there was a plan working in his mind, who gave a pained grin through his bloodied face. One tooth dropped out and tumbled to the ground while another hung loosely from the top. The grin disappeared as his eyes locked on the fallen pearly-white.

"Eyes forward, asshole," the man commanded and knocked Josef's head with his fist. Josef stumbled as the strike knocked him off-balance, anger flashing across his face, then subsiding. He knew better than to let emotion overrule rational thought.

"Oh man, I hope we get to shred 'em with the car!" one dreamed, "That'd be badass!"

"Get real," another said back, "Boss has done that five times this week. He's probably as bored of it as I am," he huffed.

"Oh, fuck off. You mean to tell me you don't get chills when they try to keep their guts inside?"

"Have any of you tried something more productive like, I don't know, finger painting?" I interjected, earning myself an express trip to the ground. I spat to remove the dirt from my tongue while the one who knocked me down stepped on my back.

"Maybe Don should've beat your face in instead?" he threatened, face red, "Now get up and keep your mouth shut, 'fore we get really mean," he ordered as I was hoisted back to my feet.

They brought us to a large doorway, the label of which still read "library," despite it being devoid of books. It seemed every member of the gang was in the room, all laughing and hollering at our expense from their seats. Half-empty bottles were hurled at us and insults followed on their heels as we were lined up with the other members of our militia in front of a junk throne on the far side of the room.

Neon lights pulsed every now and then while the music playing from the speakers was quiet at last. Soon, it was the elated cackling of the collective junkies that dominated the soundscape.

"Kneel, dumbass," the woman from before hissed while I was pushed to the ground, "it's time to meet the boss."

A man, which I presumed to be Ford, sat on the throne, draining a bottle of all its contents. A junk crown sat by the wayside on his head, kept in line by his stiff mohawk, and eyeliner was sloppily circled around his bloodshot eyes. He stood up from the throne, hiccuped, smashed the glass container on the ground, straightened his crown, and strolled triumphantly to stand before us. "Well, well, well!" he said, hands rubbing together, "Looks like we got ourselves a group of hometown heroes!" he shouted to the crowd.

They screamed in delight, spitting and begging for blood.

"All right! All right!" he called out to quiet the crowd. "Shut the fuck up!" he screamed to end the raucous. He paced back and forth, smiling as if he were a child on his birthday and about to open a gift. "I'm just _so_ fucking thrilled that you all paid us a visit tonight! But come on, after yesterday, how could you not? I'm a smart bastard, aren't I?" he gloated, slapping Billy Creel across the face. He grabbed him by the cheeks, "Aren't I?" he shouted, saliva flying from his mouth.

Billy grimaced but nodded in fearful submission.

Ford let go and lost himself in the hilarity of the moment. Heavy, gut laughs filled the hall as others joined him in the joke we were all missing. He returned to his throne to recompose himself, wiping a tear from his eye and still giggling cruelly, then grabbed a rusty pistol from the table next to his chair and spun around.

He shot four times and Billy slumped over into a wet puddle.

"Fucking hell!" Jericho shouted as the blood splattered on him. He spat and thrashed as he couldn't wipe the mess from his face, then turned his hate to the man at the front of the room.

Leo Stahl began to shout every expletive he knew, and some even I didn't at the gang leader.

Ford laughed again, this time until his face was beet-red. "I always did hate a spineless bitch! A little fight in him would've made this a hell of a lot more fun, right ladies and gentlemen?" he asked the crowd.

Again, chaos ensued as they asked for another execution. Ford raised his hands, spun around and basked in their ecstatic cheers. He tossed the gun back to his throne and approached Jericho. "Getting along in years, you old fuck," he jeered, "Should've stayed out of this mess, or at least did us all the favor of drinking yourself to death in that crater, eh?"

"You still ain't shit, never will be. You're just hiding behind your boys because you can't fight one of us, let alone make a damn fist. Now, untie me and I'll shove one of these bottles down your throat!" Jericho growled as he lunged at the man.

Ford patted Jericho's head, then slammed his knee into his face. Another fit of laughter at the aging Jericho's expense ensued, as others in the crowd laughed along. After watching Jericho roll around for a few moments, the humor dispersed, and he rolled his eyes in disdain. "Don't keel over just yet, old timer. We haven't got to the fun part yet."

I struggled against my restraints, trying to break them as he approached Flash next. Any movement was awkward with my hands behind my back, and leverage was not part of the equation. What was I to do, anyway? I had no doubts in my mind that I could break the small man in half before he even knew what happened, but his comrades will fill me with more holes than I needed soon after. Hatefully, I swallowed my pride in the continuation of the display.

Flash stared up at Ford, eyes red and puffy. Bravery was on his mind, but it wasn't something he possessed in the moment. His lips began to quake as the first tear streaked down his face and to his chin, another flowing soon after. Sobs were next to begin. "Oh, God! Please don't kill me, man!" Flash pleaded with his head bowed to the floor, "Please, please don't kill me!"

Ford frowned and scratched under his crown. He grimaced, shocked at the sight unfolding and appeared lost at what to do next. He would find his way, though. Ford smirked as a nasty idea gestated in his crooked mind. "Jesus. I didn't even have to do anything to this one. Fine. Whatever. You're free to go," he said with a shrug and motioned for someone in the crowd to come free him.

Flash stopped sobbing and looked around, bewildered. He didn't believe what he was hearing and still counted himself among the victims. Reality set in as the zip-tie was removed from his wrists and tossed aside. His eyes widened at the sight of his free hands and he made a few cautious steps in the opposite direction.

Ford flicked his hand back and forth to usher him away. He mouthed the word, "run," then reached for his gun again.

Flash tripped over himself trying to make a break for the door while shots were fired at his feet. He jumped and covered his head as he rushed through the doorway and back into the hallway.

"Probably pissing himself right about now!" the raider boss yelled, "I'm all heart! But we'll see him again in a few hours if I'm right! Dumbass is probably going straight back to town!" he said to cue more praises from the gang, "Y'know, I think I've had enough fun for now, and we have some hungry pets down below, don't we? Muffy ought to be getting angry, so let's go make her happy with some snacks!" he ordered as a group of raiders stood each one of us up and shoved us towards the doorway. "At least, I think Muffy's a she. Fuck if I know. Oh, but leave that one here!" he said, pointing at Josef, "He's the one that's been fucking with our boys for a while. I want some special _alone_ time with him!"

I rammed my shoulder into one of the raiders restraining me as they dragged Josef away. Another two clung to me as I pulled back with all my might in a blind rage. I gritted my teeth and struggled against their grip, but eventually lost the battle and was taken back into the halls while Josef disappeared behind the closing doors, shooting me a stone-faced look as we were separated. I cursed and fought more as they took us back to the basement where I had been captured initially, and into a large room.

In the middle was a deep pit. Construction lights were focused on it, revealing the wet, rocky surface inside. One by one, we were freed from our restraints, then thrown down into the pit while the raiders laughed and spat from above. I stood up, furious, and hurled a rock at one of them, middle finger extended, and clocked him right in the forehead. He wobbled and disappeared from my view while the others tossed pieces of rubble down at me. I stepped into the dark where they could no longer see me while the rest of my group did the same.

Eventually, they grew tired of throwing rocks into a hole and left us to die in the pit, turning the lights off as they went. The squeaking of the door as it closed was like the last of our hope being pushed into the dark pit as well. I turned my pip-boy lamp, flooding the pit with a green light, and looked around at the collective faces of each of my companions. Jericho was clutching his leg and groaning in pain while Jackie sat against the wall, face covered by her hands, still. Leo was still shouting desperate insults at the raiders who had left us there, not caring that they couldn't hear a word he was saying. He hurled anything he could find at them, which wasn't more than a handful of rocks and his left shoe.

The grim situation finally began to dawn on me as I looked around in the cave. Only minutes before, I thought we had everything under control and it would be an easy cleanup job, or extermination if you prefer. Now we were sitting in a dark hole, one of us dead, another on the run, while they had one of my best friends doing who knew what to him. Ana and Graham were nowhere to be found, and neither of them had no idea what was going on.

But Josef was still in danger, and I couldn't let them have him that easily. I placed one hand on the wall and pulled. My hand slipped off, so I tried again to meet the same infuriating result. I searched for any dips, any place to pull on that could allow me to climb but found nothing but smoothness. A will to survive, or perhaps that Voice again, shouted to jam my fingers into the rocks and scale the wall to freedom and to make them pay, but even sheer willpower wasn't enough to bend the truth of the situation. My fingers stabbed at the rocky uprising, turning them red and bruised. Over and over until my nails started to bleed. I didn't want to acknowledge it. I had to get out. I couldn't go out that easily, not when I had come so far, not when they were still raiders above just begging to find themselves on the receiving end of…well…

The hunger.

Try as I might, climbing back out was looking more like a pipe dream than a reality. Put simply, we were fucked. Screwed, damned, tricked, however you want to say it. We were unarmed and out of luck. There was no climbing out of that cave and no one was going to free us from the pit. The desperation overtaking the others began to look appetizing to me as well as the thoughts of dying in that hole began to flood my mind. It couldn't end that way, it just couldn't. I sat on the ground and leaned my head against the moist cave wall while the darkness made my mind run rapidly for something to give me hope. Maybe Ana was on her way to help us, Graham just behind her. A stretch of the mind, I thought, as I remembered the raider's efficiency then capturing us. It was two against, well, I had no idea how many.

There were innocent people waiting behind the makeshift walls, pinning their hopes on the ragtag team we had put together. But, what did I, personally, have to run back to? Sure, I liked Megaton, but I could never shake the feeling that it wasn't my home. Nowhere felt like it was, and frankly, I still haven't found a place that does years later. However, I knew that there was one place, one person left to return to.

Dad.

Nagging thoughts of guilt swirled around, taunting me from the shadows as our last conversation played out in my mind all over again. It made me angry, sure, but, as the heat of the moment had long died down, I found myself feeling sad. He was so happy to see me once again, despite how worried he was, and all because his answer wasn't what I wanted to hear, I smashed our family into pieces all over again. Was I really justified in my anger, or was the whole thing a big misunderstanding? Maybe, just maybe, I had been hasty in my response. Maybe instead of running away, I should've continued the conversation and tried to fix it. There didn't appear to be any chances of turning it back around, though.

But, from the darkness surrounding us, a skittering noise echoed. It played in the air with trickling water in the distance, stopped curiously, then began to close in on us once again. It waned, hesitant to come closer.

"Uh, anyone else hear that?" Leo asked as he stopped cursing long enough to breathe. He squinted his eyes at the direction of the noise.

Jericho wheezed and coughed, still lying on the ground. "Yeah, stop making that noise, whoever it is and let me die in peace. You're freaking me the hell out."

"It's not me," I said.

"Me neither," Jackie added.

"Nope," said Leo.

"Well, then who the fuck is it?" Jericho asked with a grunt. He maneuvered himself around to peer into the dark as I passed over him.

The green light didn't carry far down the tunnel, but I could faintly see a figure moving through the shadows. Two appendages waved in the air while a soft clicking sound interrupted the skittering. I walked forward a few paces to find the source of the noises and found it much sooner than expected.

Massive jaws reached from the shadows and tried to close around my leg. It barely caught my pants but tore the little piece they reached to shreds as they snapped shut. Antenna emerged and waved around at me as the insect charged, jaws gnashing and tar-colored eyes tracking me.

"Fucking ants!" Leo shouted as he backpedaled away from the beast.

I stumbled back as the insect skittered up the wall and reached for my neck. I rolled, then stood back to my feet with a boulder in hand. "Anyone have anything better?" I shouted as I readied myself to drop the rock on the ant's head.

Jackie leaped from behind and onto the bug's back. It reared and snapped its jaws in a fury. She beat her hands on the monster's head being able to do little else. I lifted the rock high and slammed it down with all my strength. It crashed on the ant. Again, I threw the boulder down, the second hit colliding with a squelch and crunch. Jackie climbed off as the ant twitched, then tried to rise once more. She screamed as it made a lunge for her leg and nipped her ankle. I stomped it once more, squashing the crawler and spraying the contents of its head on the cave floor.

"Shit!" Jackie yelped as she squeezed the bite. It was hardly anything dangerous, but painful all the same. "What the hell are they doing with ants down here?" she gestured.

I looked over the corpse of the giant insect, a thought already forming amidst the strangeness. The reason for the ant's existence was irrelevant, but a stroke of luck all the same. My mind raced with purpose and intensity renewed while a hope to escape flickered to life. We may have had a way out after all. "Hey, you know what?" I asked with a gesture, "This is an ant."

"Brilliant. Fucking genius," Jericho grumbled, then coughed, "Glad to see that vault education is really paying off."

I spun around. "No, think about it. Ants don't stay underground forever. Yes, their nests are built down here, but they gather stuff from…" I trailed off, hoping someone would finish my thought.

"From traveling caravans like The Good Doctor," Leo stated matter-of-factly, "God, I'd kill to have some of his…uh," he stopped and made a face.

"Well, technically, if you prefer. What I mean is that they need to go to the surface sometime. And if this thing is a giant ant colony then that means all we need to do is find the hole that leads back to the surface! It's clearly not the one we were thrown in, so there's another somewhere in here." I explained, tapping a few buttons on my Pip-boy and looking at the map. "So, ants probably dig their tunnels, say, a foot or so deep? Multiply that times one hundred or so to adjust for their size and…" I stopped again as I realized the size of the tunnels. Perhaps the idea was farfetched, but with silent begging to Lady Luck, it was still something I was willing to try.

"Multiply that times one hundred or so and it equals fucked," Jackie said angrily, "Do you really think that we can walk through the tunnels and find our way out? These things may go for miles in both directions! We'll starve down here before we find a way out!"

"Maybe. Maybe not. Unless you're willing to climb up on my shoulders and escape yourself?" I asked as I ripped the jaw from the smashed ant. Sharp and rigid, but hardly durable. It would have to do. Still hearing nothing, I began to march down the tunnel, "I'm not going to lay down here and die while they throw a party for the ages. I'm going back up there and I'm going to crash it," I declared, marching intently onward.

I could hear them stirring behind me as the glow dimmed, leaving nothing but darkness once again. More concerning, the skittering had begun once again, signifying the approach of more ants. I was ready for the attack that time, and as another two came into view. As one lunged for me, I swung the rigid appendage at the antennae and severed the spindly cords. The other had no time to react when the other turned to chomp at whatever was closest. The second, with no choice, began to fight back. I stabbed the detached jaw down like a guillotine on the base of the frenzied ant's neck. I leaped off its back and cleaved the remaining ant's left eye. It turned to flee, but I tossed the jaw with precision, landing it directly in the insect's back. If only I could shoot straight, I'd be set. Each time we ran into an ant, I tried the same technique. Cut off the antennae, then attack while it's dazed. It there were two, let them duke it out and claim the winner.

Tunnels circled and snaked around in what seemed to be endless circles, but I was sure we were getting closer. Small upward inclines were the only path I willingly took, as they were the most likely to lead us to the surface, and large drop offs were always a dead end in my mind. Even if we were to survive the fall, it would probably equal being lost in the ant tunnels for good.

But, despite our iffy navigation, it was better than waiting for someone to rescue us.

* * *

Time passed quickly as we journeyed through the tunnels until we had been walking for half an hour or more. Here and there would be a pile of rubble, but it never equaled a full stop. It was always just an obstacle we needed to overcome. Three of us made short work of these hurdles, but Jericho struggled the most as the impact from being thrown down into the tunnels affected him profoundly. Age hadn't treated him kindly, nor had his day-to-day activities. But, like the stubborn raider he once was, he hauled himself over and beyond anything that came our way, wheezing and coughing all the while. Every so often, he would stop to place interact with something on the ground or the wall, but I couldn't tell what. It was too dark to figure out, and I assumed he was just picking up stray loot that caught his eye.

I should've guessed he was craftier than that.

"Hey, Paul," Jackie began, walking close behind "I haven't had the chance to ask, did you ever catch up to your dad?"

I continued to look onward for any threat, but I could feel her stare burning in the back of my head. "Yeah. I found him. He was in Rivet City," I said plainly in hopes of a simple answer to a difficult topic.

"Oh, well, uh, I'm glad. It's good that you found him, especially there. That's probably the safest place I know of. Other than that Citadel place the Brotherhood of Steel lives in, that is. That place is almost impossible to get close to if they don't want you to."

"And that must mean they aren't fond of visitors, right?" I remarked.

Jackie frowned, "You could say that. Y'know, back when Jonny and me were in this one gang, we got to see it up close. The boss was a pretty stupid guy and, one day, he decided that our next raiding spot was going to be the Citadel. He was really pumped about it, too, since he thought we could score a set of power armor or a laser rifle from one of the Knights."

"Sounds like you thought it was a bad idea."

"Boss was always dense, but he was tough as nails, so mostly everyone went with his ideas. That one, though, was so dumb that pretty much everyone told him we were all going to die. He didn't like that one bit and said that if we didn't like it, we could try our luck out on our own. It was a hard thing to do, but we didn't have much choice. Besides, there wasn't much gang left after the raid."

"I guess being wiped out would give you a reason to leave."

"Yeah, but it was like family to us. A big, violent, drug-addicted family, yeah, but a hell of a lot more like one than me and Jonny had ever been in before," she said with slight longing in her voice, "It just…hit Jonny a lot harder than it did me. He was really close to some of the guys there, and he was already using to get his mind off some of the things bogging him down. That only sent him into overdrive."

I flinched as the topic drifted towards her brother, the very same man I had choked to death with a crowbar only about a day before. Perhaps my meeting with Dad was more comfortable, after all.

"He started shooting up all day, any chance he could get. Started getting meaner when the withdrawals hit him, and getting desperate to have a hit when he wasn't out of his mind. I tried to help him at first, then he turned on me. Accused me of taking from his stash."

I scratched my neck, feeling the greedy fangs of guilt sinking in already. Jonny was a piece of shit, but his sister cared deeply for him, and she was another innocent. "Sounds like he was getting out of control."

"Maybe, but I still wanted to help him. I wanted to bring my brother back to who he was before. Of course, things got really bad when the Freaks got us. And, uh, you know the rest," said Jackie, "I wonder if he would've stayed to help us if he wasn't so far out from his last hit. Hell, he might've been a little nicer to everyone, too," she laughed pitifully, then sighed, dejected, "I just hope he hasn't gone and gotten into more trouble out there. That big idiot better not get killed or anything. Not before I wring his neck," she said, playful, "Brothers. What can you do?"

I winced again. I hoped my act of innocence was convincing enough. "Yeah, that'd be…a shame," I agreed, then quickened my pace to leave the conversation behind, figuratively and literally.

We walked on, Leo and Jericho bringing up the rear while Jackie and I led with our eyes peeled. Eventually, our persistence paid off as the sweet, blue moonlight I had hoped to see again shined gently through an opening in the ceiling. As we approached it, we found piles of rocks leading upwards like a ramp. I began to scale the rock face to the surface, eager to breathe air that smelled like burnt toast instead of wet mud and sweltering remains that had been either preserved by the inhabitants or left to decay. Leo and Jackie were the first to climb up while I followed third. However, our fourth member was struggling immensely with the steep climb.

"C'mon, c'mon!" Jericho grunted to himself as he tried to lift his leg high enough to begin the ascent. Finally, he pulled himself off the ground but dropped back down as a fit of violent coughing overtook him. He beat his chest as the coughing continued, gasping for breath in between them.

"Hey, are you going to make it?" I asked and dropped to the bottom.

Jericho waved me off, "Get your ass back up there, kid. I'm not some frail old man, you hear me?" he said after a slow, deep breath. I held my hand out to pull him up, but he swatted it away and insisted on climbing the wall himself. Finally, he managed to begin the rocky ascent but found his hold began to shake as the near silence of the tunnels gave way to a stomping of sorts. I could feel it moving beneath my feet as well. Pebbles jumped and bounced down the rock pile as Jericho strained to drag himself up higher. He feared what I already knew.

We had been stomping around in an ant colony, and ants are very protective of their homes. Much like people, they tend to group up and attack whatever threatens them, and, in the case of giant ants, often to stellar results. Considering I had been attacking any that tried to impede us, it's no wonder we upset the rest of the colony. We were like tasty morsels that just wouldn't give up without a show of force, one the dull creatures were willing to oblige.

The shaking grew worse, skittering and thundering filling the corridors as a stampede of ants came into view, snapping their mandibles and flicking antennae in hungry anticipation. I reached out again to pull him up as they began to scale the rock pile much quicker than he was capable of.

"Take my hand, Jericho!" I shouted as the ants began to snap their jaws at his feet.

He looked down, then up to me. "Fuck it, kid, I'm a lost cause!" he yelled back, fiddling with his jacket and pulling whatever contents he had out and tossing it at the beasts. He took a swig from a flask and threw it with a saddened look.

"Did they not search you?" I asked, surprised that he still had more than just the clothes on his back. There wasn't enough time to save him and I knew that. The ants climbed speedily to reach his position.

"Were you not fucking listening to me yesterday?" he called out as I pulled myself up closer to the exit. Jericho, after emptying his pockets of all he had, pulled one final object and held it close to give it a lucky kiss. "These snot-nosed brats don't know what they're doing!" he yelled and raised the object above his head, "You tell those pussies back in town what I did, you hear?" he commanded. Ants began to close their jaws around his limbs as he was engulfed in them, but he wouldn't scream. He was too proud to go out that way. Instead, he let out one last battle-cry worthy of a raider, "Eat this you bug-eyed, six-legged, motherfuckers!"

I dragged myself to the surface as the ground shook and smoke poured from the opening. The unstable ceiling, now below us, began to cave in where the explosion took place, trapping the ants under tons of rubble and probably charring those that weren't crushed. The ground quaked more as the explosions continued their destructive roar through the tunnels, the product of Jericho's quiet plotting exposing itself in his last moments. Potholes erupted with heat and dust, expanding from the force unexpected.

We, however, were once again under the stars, safe at last. And down one more member. One dead in the throne room, one on the run, one dead in the tunnels, buried beneath an avalanche of boulders and the other captured.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Leo cursed and pounded his fists on the ground, "First it was Billy, now it's Jericho! Josef's probably getting thoroughly fucked over right about now, and that chicken-shit kid just up and left us to die there!" he shouted, face in hands. He dropped to his knees on the dirt, teeth grinding in anger. He beat the ground again, then shot up to full height, face twitching in response to his exasperation. "You know what? Fuck it! I'm done with this! Maybe I can grab Andy and Jenny and get out of here before the sun rises. It's better than getting executed by that crazy bastard or dropped in another hole!"

"So that's it, then?" I began, "You're calling it quits now? Not after Billy getting executed? I didn't know Jericho meant that much to you."

"Don't try to guilt trip me, Paul. I hated that old bastard more than anyone else in town, but, after Josef, he was one of our best chances at putting these bastards in their place. All we have left to help is the girl and that freak red-head, Graham. Fuck, I mean, really! The guy can't even press a button at the right time so he sure as hell can't take on any of them down. It's time I face the facts: I can't do anything to stop them, and neither can you," he declared.

I approached him, casting my eyes downward, threatening him with my presence.

He crossed his arms and pushed up against me. "What? Are you going to force me in there? Let's go then. I'm not afraid of you," he instigated. His nose wrinkled, nostrils flaring, he pushed me back to goad me. "C'mon, let's see what you've got, freak!" he shouted.

I grabbed the neck of Leo's shirt and threw him to ground. He scrambled to stand again while I kicked him over once again. I placed my foot on his chest and leaned over him.

"You want to take me on? I'm game, but let me remind you of something," I began, riding the high, "I've been through the metro tunnels. I've been to GNR, which just so happened to be a shooting gallery for the mutants, and I've been to the war zone in the Mall. I've been halfway turned into them, and ripped my way out of the jail they took me to in order to that," I gritted my teeth and snarled as one would've, "In just a month, I've been through shit that you could've only dreamed of, and you want to pick a fight with me?"

Leo tried to push my foot off, but putting more weight would end that attempt. He beat his hands on my leg as a last resort.

"Ease up, Paul!" Jackie interjected.

"Go home, then. Get your guns. Take a fucking shot, and make it count," I hissed. I stepped away and let him free.

Stahl took a few deep breaths and rose to his feet again. He advanced through the darkness, fuming until he was just a shadowy figure illuminated by the pale moonlight.

It didn't matter if I had his support or not. I turned my mind to the raider base, then took my first steps in returning to it.

"You aren't going back in there, are you?" said Jackie. She grabbed the back of my coat and tugged on it. It didn't slow me down any, but she was dragged along as well. "We're done. They played us like a fiddle and you want to go right back to them? Are you fucking loco?"

I shook her loose and continued back to the school. "I'm not leaving Josef in there and I'm not letting them get off the hook that easily. Besides, this time, they probably think we're still down in that hole, dead or lost. They won't see us coming. If you two want to give up, then go ahead. I came here to kick some ass, and by God, I'm going to kick some ass," I stated, leaving them under the moonlight to make a decision.

Jackie looked in the direction Leo went, then back to me. She frowned, then did another double-take. "I can't. I can't go with you. I'm sorry," she admitted. Jackie ran after Leo.

Part of me assumed that they would be inspired by my resilience, moved to action as the people of Big Town had. But, they didn't decide how I'd hoped and went back to town together, leaving me to lead a one-man assault on a raider base in the wee hours of the morning. Fantastic odds, really, but I was already too determined to finish what I started to let odds scare me off.

* * *

 **I think I've dragged things out for long enough. It's been more than a month yet again. Next chapter goes up tomorrow, and 29 goes up the next. Prepare yourself. I hope they aren't utter garbage. Peace out.**


	28. Crossroads III

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Crossroads III

 _~ September 15, 2277 ~_

The next time, I made no effort to sneak in the lower level and instead entered through the front. I kicked the door open and stomped down the hall, the music booming once again to mask my noisy entrance. I anticipated countless raiders to charge me from every corner but met no resistance as I wandered through the halls. At first, it appeared that I had missed something important. Their departure, perhaps, to put an end to Megaton. It seemed unlikely that they would go so early in the morning without partying even a little. Creatures of habit, and that sort of thing.

I heard a struggle taking place around the corner, however, and believed I had found my first raider. Deep breath, stay focused because no one is there to help. " _Good_ ," I thought, " _Maybe they'd like a trip to the ant tunnels._ " I approached the bend carefully and readied myself to attack. Surprise was part of my arsenal and I intended to use it to deadly results. I rushed around the corner, ready for battle, and was met with something entirely different.

Dead. All of them. And with no effort on my part.

Corpses lined the hall, I counted at least seven, all with expressions of shock on their faces. They were killed cleanly and little to no mess was left behind in their extinction, locked in varying poses. A perfect death, picturesque almost. A still life without the living, a photograph without a camera.

Among the discarded bodies stood a man, eyes wild and twisted, reveling in the glorious finality around him, a devilish grin splitting his face open and pure ecstasy emanating from him. He breathed deep the aroma of extinguished humanity, a fragrant candle to his picky tastes, renewed with each lift of the air. His home surrounded him, a creature comfort. Born to terrify. Born to chase. Born to kill.

"Ah, hello!" said Graham warmly while he stepped over one of the bodies as if it were barely there. "I see you're still alive!" he noted, hands clasped together and happily welcoming me.

I watched him carefully as he glided across the floor, graceful and dignified. "Yeah, I am. Say, weren't you supposed to be outside with Ana?"

He smiled faintly. "Yes, well, change of plans. Seeing as the rest of you stopped responding a little while ago, and she was worried, I decided to come take a look. I figured it would be for the best that I find out what happened," he explained while jabbing a body with the toe of his boot. He sighed. "And since you're here, how about we team up? Me and you, the half-mutant from Vault 101, kicking ass and taking names, just like we do in my _dreams_! That'd be a real hoot, wouldn't it?"

"A real gas," I deadpanned, a false smirk plastered on my face as Graham brushed my shoulder on his way past me. "By the way, do you still have a headset the works? Mine stopped working the moment we set foot in here."

"None of them work in here," Graham stated, "That Ford guy is smarter than you gave him credit for. Everyone's signal was blocked right after you walked through those doors. No signals going in or out, no matter how much you needed them to," he summed-up, finger waggling back and forth, "Too bad he's not above common criminality."

I walked along behind Graham, observing how nonchalantly he paced himself down the hall. He didn't seem to be on guard in any capacity, and it unnerved me. "And you came in here knowing that you can't call for help?"

Graham exhaled a half-hearted laugh, then shrugged dismissively. "Well, it's not like they were going to be much trouble for me. I really spooked them when I climbed through the window while two of them were shooting up with…whatever they use. Screaming and crying, really. God knows what they were seeing!" he laughed as we reached the next floor, "The next handful of them charged the room, and it was just easy picking from there. You'd think they would know by now that bottlenecking in a doorway is a bad idea, but what the hell," he chuckled, "It saved me a lot of trouble. From there I just walked the halls until I found the group you just saw me with," he concluded with a fond lilt in hos voice. Graham waved his hand at me to signal that we needed to be quiet as we stood in the shadows.

"Good work, I guess. Do you have any idea where they took Josef?" I asked.

He crossed his arms and looked up to search his mind for useful information. "I overheard a few of them talking about Ford taking him to his room to have some fun, but you probably knew that already. You know what else?"

"What?"

"I don't think it was going to be very fun. Not for Josef, anyway."

An insensitive observation, but not lacking truth. "I'll take a stab in the dark and say that's in the library. The door in the back, right?" I deduced as I peered about the area for any raiders. Three, all brandishing junk rifles. They knew something was going on, most likely that the building was under attack, but not what awaited them.

"If that's your idea of a stab, you might give the Pint-Sized Slasher a run for his money," said Graham as he slipped out of the dark and into the clear sight. Like a snake, he slithered quickly, quietly towards the first of the raiders. In the next second, a flash of hands and red, and the man was dead on the floor. Another took notice of Graham's presence.

I rushed the second raider, tackling him to the ground and disarming him while the remaining one made a run for it. Graham, eyes hungry like a lion chasing prey, gave chase until they vanished into a room to the side. I had my enemy pinned on the ground, but he wasn't ready to give up. He swung his fists at me from the below, while I threw mine down at him. Hands shot over to the rifle but were met with another beat down. Consciousness faded out quickly from his eyes as I stood up to aid Graham in his pursuit.

I passed through the doorway and into the classroom, rifle in hand and ready to fire. The last seconds of the final raider's life played out in front of me as Graham avoided every strike he attempted. He twirled and slid under and around every punch, every attack, while the raider became increasingly afraid. The raider went for his middle. Graham sidestepped. Another attempt made, this time for his throat. He spun around his arm in a playful dance. Effortless, Graham dropped to the ground, hands holding him inches from the floor, then flipped himself, feet upwards. He chuckled as the raider tried to move out of the way. Graham's boots connected with the center of the man's chest, knocking him back.

He wiggled his shoes at the raider then pushed himself upright. His feet touched the ground. A burst of blue energy hurled from the tip of his pistol with barely a hiss. The recipient of the projectile found he had a hole big enough to fit an arm through burned in his chest. The wall smoked as the searing, glowing ball scorched the point of impact. Graham blew on the tip of his gun, old-western style then smiled that devilish smile once again.

Part of me was impressed by the display, while another part shuddered at the image of him toying with his kill. What kind of man was I teaming up with? I pushed the thoughts down because there was no time to question my aid, not when he was making a profound difference. Together, we proceeded back into the hallway, where more raiders were waiting.

"You take the right, I take the left!" he commanded as he fired wildly at the group. Two were down immediately, much to his pleasure. I pushed myself behind a locker. My hands were balled around my weapon, ready to return fire. Graham moved to cover behind a trophy case, head still peeking out, then fired seven more blind shots. All but one went down, leaving me to take out the last.

I shot once, missing entirely but scaring the woman enough to make her drop her weapon in hopes of mercy. Neither Graham nor I were capable of such a thing, and neither were they. The last curses from the raider fought for dominance over the booming music nearby.

"I hope we're not keeping count of kills here, Graham," I grumbled as we stepped over the bodies lining the hall. Blood was going to stain the walls and floors, probably my shoes as well.

"Even if we were, you'd have a long way to go, believe me. But hey, maybe you can outdo me one day if you really give it your all!" he encouraged in his own demented way as we approached the library. He put his hands on the door, then motioned for me to stop.

I relented, but for only a moment. "What?" I asked.

Graham made a face, judgemental with a touch of disappointment. "Were you really about to walk through the door with me, Mr. Carver? You know there's quite a few on the other side and we'll be at a disadvantage, speaking on position, don't you?"

"Yeah, I guess that's true," I agreed, "Is there another way around?"

He cackled, devilish smile wide and awful. "Nope."

Graham pushed the doors open and strolled into the room, silver pistol pointed and ready. He released three blue projectiles, dropping one more body than he fired for. Another leaped from behind the opened double doors, knife in hand. I grabbed his face and slammed him on the ground. Two on the far side of the room ducked behind a bar. Graham upturned a table and slid behind it. The booming weaponry was lost under the booming music. The two behind the bar peeked out. One lost his head in a lucky shot from me.

The other leaped over the bar and dashed behind Ford's throne. I ran to the same place. The chair was slammed down, trapping him beneath it. He tried to push it away, then tried to pull the trigger and turn the tides. I shot one final bullet at him.

A door in the back of the room opened. "What in the FUCK is happening out-" Ford began, emerging from the room in the back. His eyes widened, jaw agape at the discourse taking place just outside his room. "Jesus!" he shouted in a horrified exit.

I left Graham behind and followed the escaping boss. He locked the door. I kicked it multiple times, each with increasing force. The wood gave way in the middle. I reached through to unlock the door, peering into the room making the loudest snarls I was capable of and shouting any threats that came to mind. Ford was panicked and struggling to open the window across from me. Just as I opened the door, he threw the window upwards and climbed out. He sank into the darkness with only a thump echoing from his landing.

"Damn it," I cursed and beat my hand on the window sill. It was too dark to see where he had gone, and the window was too small for me to climb out of. Ford was going to escape, even after all we had gone through to catch him, leaving the bitter taste of defeat on my tongue to displace the unrequited blood lust.

A cough echoed out of the barely illuminated corner of the room. I jumped in response to the sudden noise, dreading that I had been too hasty and walked into another trap. My eyes scanned the room in a tizzy, every lowly lit detail being devoured to provide me an edge I believed I needed. Instead, there sat my captured friend, bound to a chair. Josef was slumped over, blood still dripping from his face.

I figured it was the bash wound he received earlier.

"Hey, Jo, you okay?" I asked, reaching one hand out to untie the ropes. They were far tighter than they needed to be. Ford must've been afraid of Josef escaping. I tugged at the double knotted rope to discover it was going to be far too difficult to untie it that way. "Sit tight. I'm going to cut this thing off you," I advised. The knife from the raider in the library was plenty sharp to cut the frayed ropes binding my friend. I sawed the side holding his left arm back, then the right, and found that there were several different ropes holding him back. I huffed in frustration as another was loosened from the cutting. "He didn't hurt you too much, did?…"

He looked up wearily.

I saw the rest of his face and shuddered.

A kindly eye, groggy and exhausted, gazed over the bridge of his nose, strained in the endeavor. It needed to be strong enough for two.

Josef stared out across the room, just beyond me. "Oh, hey Paul. Could you move over? I can't see you very well from here," he breathed, pained in every word. He tried to straighten up in the chair while I braced him. Josef turned his head carefully and softened his expression when I came into view. A dumb grin spread across his face in direct spite of the moment. "Fucking hell. That'll take some getting used to."

"Jo, your eye…"

"Yeah. I know," he interrupted, "It hurts like a son of a bitch, but it's not the worst I've felt," he grunted, "The little punk was crazier than I thought. Figured he was just going to…beat me down a little, usual shit. Didn't expect him to give me the scoop."

I balled my fists and rose to full height. "I'm sorry, Jo. I'm so sorry," I offered in a far-fetched attempt at comfort, "Maybe I can patch it up until we get some help. I'll look around, then we can get out of here," I said, removing a drawer and dumping the contents on the floor.

"No," said Josef, "You need to go after Ford," he whispered, "If he gets to the car, then we'll never catch up to him."

I stopped my search, flabbergasted. "Yeah, right. I'm not running off and leaving you," I replied, then opened another container.

"Listen, Paul, this is more important than me. I'm asking you…"

"And I'm _telling_ you," I retorted, "As much as I want to find that asshole and twist his head off, I'm not going to leave you in here to do it," I concluded. My search was meaningless. Ford had nothing that I could use to clean the wound. All I needed was some alcohol, but the idiot must've drank it all before I got there, judging by the bottles strewn about the room. My solution wasn't ideal, as Dad would've surely reminded me, but it was better than nothing. I could've made do with the cloth, but poking one covered dirt and germs into a wound is among the worst things I could've tried.

Josef laughed, then tensed up when the muscles it took to smile caused him pain. "Did you even listen to me back when I was teaching you? You're supposed to look out for yourself. Survival is what matters, remember?"

I scratched my head in frustration, both at his carelessness of himself and at my inability to find anything that would help the situation. "Well, then maybe it's in interest of my survival that I get you out of here,"

"Come on, you've got to get that little bastard or all this won't be worth it," he insisted.

"Oh, for the love of…" I said, "Stop it. You're acting like the only way you're getting out of this is on a cloud, playing harp and singing 'Swing low sweet chariot.'"

Josef groaned. "Fine. Whatever. But you're going to be carrying me out of here," he conceded, "Ford had a little too much fun kicking my shins. With his hammer. Didn't break anything, though."

I didn't offer any more responses. With both hands bracing him as he stood I helped him to the door, across the library, and to the hallways. Corpses and wreckage of Graham's rampage littered the corridors, but Josef didn't seem to notice most of them. He was in a daze and obviously focusing on staying upright. For once, I couldn't count on his instincts to keep us safe in the middle of danger. I held my gun outwards in preparation as we walked slowly through the dark rooms, the music above reaching the end of the list and bringing about a welcome silence at last. It was strange, being that quiet. After all the fighting and struggling, there was nothing left. No one moved inside the building other than us.

Reflection allowed me to understand that the utter disaster that we experienced was avoidable, if only we had brought Graham inside with us, to begin with. Maybe if we had replaced someone like Flash or Jackie or Leo, someone generally unhelpful, we could've saved Billy and Jericho from their sudden ends. Death, though, was something hard to anticipate, and defeat, as I said before, was a hard pill to swallow, especially when you know that it didn't have to be that way.

"I'm proud of you, man," Josef said after a stint of wordless silence between us. A reserved smile was plastered on his face, perhaps absentmindedly.

"What for?" I asked, stopping long enough to look around the corner. I advanced after seeing it was clear.

"You've put in a lot of work out here, despite being clueless there in the beginning," said Josef, "For a while, I wouldn't have trusted you as far as I could through you, but now, I feel like I can. You could've run back home covering your ass, but you came back for me."

"Thanks, I guess?"

He dropped his head low. "Man, I'm sorry. I don't mean to get all mushy on you, but it's been a long time since I've felt like anyone had my back. Now, I've got you and Ana, too," he said, "It's rough going alone out there, y'know?"

"Nah, not really. You've been breathing down my neck since pretty much the beginning. Only been a few times I was able to think for myself," I joked.

"Don't make me laugh, this shit hurts enough as is," he said after a few stifled chuckles. Josef took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, regaining composure as he did. "Besides, I've seen kids with more wasteland smarts than you had on day one."

"Ouch. That one hurts. Maybe I should've left you back there after all?"

"Yeah, then I could be a ghost and haunt your ass for the next ten or twenty years."

"I get the feeling I wouldn't last that long with Ana just a stone's throw from here."

Josef nodded in agreement with the most effort placed in holding a neutral expression. "So, since you're the only one that came back, I'll assume everyone else died in the tunnels," he began, spurred on by another corpse discarded along the hallway.

I shook my head. "No. We lost Jericho, but the others gave up and went home."

"Damn. He probably went down screaming and cussing, didn't he?"

"Of course, he did. Even collapsed the tunnels with explosives. What else would you expect? A tearful goodbye to all his friends?"

"I expected him to make it out alive, at least. I had him pegged for being too mean to die," Josef said as we descended the stairs to the first floor.

I heard a shuffling down the hall and cursed under my breath.

A figure emerged from the end, rifle raised and pointed at both of us. Then, it lowered, relieved at the sight. "Thank God, there you are!" Ana said with a hand on her forehead. She ran down the hall while Josef turned his head away. She noticed the movement and eyed him curiously. He craned his neck as far as he was able, but she was determined.

She stepped back when he turned to face her. "What the hell did that bastard do to you?" she growled and placed her hand just above the hole as if she doubted the reality.

"Easy, easy!" Josef yelped at her, "Keep your hands to yourself, for now, okay?" he pleaded.

Ana stepped back. "Yeah. Okay, right. Priorities," she conceded, "But why the heck did he…" she began, but stopped herself. She knew the answer. "Nevermind. Paul, did we?..."

"Yeah. Sort of. The only one that got away was Ford, probably in the car," I admitted, disgusted at the defeat.

Ana looked puzzled. "In the car? I didn't see one leave. Didn't hear one, either." she stated, arms crossed and confused.

I nearly dropped Josef at that. Luck may have been on my side that time. Maybe it wasn't unfiltered defeat, but hastiness to claim it that stung. I passed him carefully over to Ana and ran for the door. I circled the building in the dark, looking just along the wall and combing the area for what I hoped to find. A soft groaning played in the air as I rounded to the back of Springvale Elementary.

There, tangled in the branches of a dead shrub, bleeding and vomiting, twisted and broken but still very much alive, was Ford. He looked up at me, barely conscious, as I pulled him from the ground and onto my back.

"Help…me…" he groaned, words slurred and nearly unintelligible. Ford weakly slapped my head, then passed out in the final phase of his drunken stupor.

It was tempting to end him then and there, but I had a better idea. I carried him along, back to where Josef and Ana were waiting and together, we returned to Megaton, Springvale Elementary no longer a danger to the people. Upon our return to town, I dropped both Josef, with much protest, and Ford, who remained quiet as I preferred, off at Doc Church's clinic and joined Ana in announcing our victory to the townspeople. They emerged slowly at first, weighed down by the assumption that it was all a dream, that victory was too lofty a goal to strive for. However, one by one, their faces lit up in joy, a prelude to the coming inversion.

It was a time for celebration, yes, but we still had to reclaim those we lost, and honor them accordingly. The morning would be long, and the work far from done.

* * *

It was solemn and reverent there on the hill behind the town. The morning sun was still on the long climb to the middle of the sky, to the height of the day. The townspeople, ragged and weary from lack of sleep combined with mortal fear throughout the night, had gathered there to remember those who never returned from the assault. The sweetened flavor of hope and safety had worn thin as quick as it was introduced to their palette, rendering most wordless in the face of such contrast. The only sounds were the stirring breeze of waning summer heat, diligently shoveled dirt and clacking rocks being set atop one another. One body was recovered and buried respectfully while a marker was assembled from stones in remembrance of the one who was lost in the tunnels. Both were arranged in line with the third, the Sheriff that gave all for the same reason, and met with the same payment. Citizen, leader, and reformed criminal, all deep in the same earth.

A child cried for her adoptive parent. Maggie was an orphan again, but one to a hero, not to a pair of victims as she had been before. Still, it was something she deserved to never experience again but found herself in the same scenario for the second time. Red, a doctor from another town, with no attachment, moved to comfort her but knew that words weren't going to make a difference.

I stood next to Josef in the back, who insisted that he attend despite being advised to do the opposite. He was living, breathing, and that was more than they could say. Ana stood even further behind us, a wide-eyed look on her face. She wouldn't come closer and retreated further behind when the townspeople began to share their fondest memories of the two deceased. Gentle, loving words were like hot arrows shooting through her heart, singing her skin with the flickering flames of shame.

I looked back, worried as she became more and more distraught, expression grievous and agonized. Her face progressed from stoic, strong, to red and anguished, to pale and weak. I nudged Josef, who first looked back with his bandage-covered, right eye out of habit, then with his left.

Ana looked up at us both, then turned away. She stumbled away in a hurry, arms crossed in front of her.

I breathed out slowly. "I'll go with her," I said to Josef who tried to follow.

I trailed her, despite her best efforts to avoid me. She didn't glance back at me but quickened her pace. Around to the front gates of Megaton and down the hill in the direction of the vault we went, no words exchanged between us. Finally, Ana stopped as she reached the roads of Springvale, myself just behind her.

I knew what it was like. I could see Pappy, hope for his new life shining in his eyes as the fear and claws rent him apart, hand reaching one last time to the one who was to protect him. The one who failed miserably.

Ana refused to turn around as I drew near to her. She was shaking, head lowered and retreated. Finally, she turned, acknowledging that I was there and not leaving. She was tired of running from me, and from trying to hide. Tears dripped from her chin in thick, heavy droplets like a downpour. She pulled me close, as no one else was there and buried her face in my chest. She grabbed at my jacket, still trying to hide from the eyes she believed to be cursing her from every angle. She was supposed to be strong fearless, and unbreakable like the people gathered in mourning thought her to be. She was the one that spurred them on to begin a new life, only to lead two to the end of theirs. Instead of the triumphant speeches she wanted to make, Ana sobbed loud, pained wails while the lethal venom of shame ran through her veins.

I didn't say anything.

I couldn't convince her that it wasn't.

A newly kindred soul understood what it meant to be guilty.

"It's all my fault!"

* * *

 **This was originally going to be part of the previous chapter, but I figured that would be too much to comfortably read in one sitting for some busier folk out there, so here you go. This, the previous chapter and the next have been sitting in the Doc Manager for the better part of two weeks because I couldn't bring myself to post them for fears of them not being perfect, but if I sit on them for that we'll never get anywhere. Great. Pressure is lots of fun. Also, so I don't break the mood for the next chapter, I'll just put this here and now since it needs to be said.**

 **Thanks to all of you that have stuck around from the beginning, despite that long span of absence in late 2016, and to everyone who's joined along the way. Really, it meant a lot to see that there were still people waiting for the next chapter, and it was what I needed to get my head back on straight. Some motivation and something else to focus on besides the crappiest days of your life reall _y_** **helps.** **  
**

 **Anyway, I never thought this thing would break a couple hundred views, let alone the 10k and counting it's gathered. It's all because of you, readers, and I thank you. Thanks to all the favorites and followers that actually want to hear when I post something new. It lets me know that I am, despite what I think about my own ability (hello, me, the hardest person to please), finding an audience out there and hopefully delivering something special.  
**

 **And speaking of special, some super-special thanks to each person who's reviewed;**

 ** _godgodgod_**

 ** _josef772_**

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 ** _Jon Fulain_**

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 ** _BigDaddieSora_**

 ** _and the real MVP,_ _Alexeij.  
_**

 **Here's hoping I haven't overlooked anyone by accident, and if I did, I apologize. PM me plenty of angry messages for it and I will probably apologize there too. Everyone's feedback, no matter how many words it is, has always been greatly valued and will continue to be into the next part of this story and beyond. So don't hesitate if something really strikes you, even if it's just one sentence.**

 **We may be at the end of Part One, but I'm far from done yet. Things ought to be more coherent from this point on, too, given that I essentially had to rewrite the entire story starting after chapter six or seven. Sorry about that. Maybe some real, honest, plot progression will happen now that we're leaving the establishing portion behind! Live and learn, eh? I'll see you again someday soon, maybe with some other fun (in a twisted sense of the word) things ready to go. 'Till then, hold tight.  
**


	29. High Tide

Chapter Twenty-Nine

High Tide

 _~ September 17, 2277 ~_

The garage door on the back end of Springvale Elementary opened with a squeal and a catch. It was hastily built long after the war by men who weren't architects in any sense of the word. A haphazard rock-cutting job to open the wall left jagged edges that scraped and damaged the thin metal door. Inside sat the one thing Ford and his gang held over the Megatonites, and the one thing I wished to claim for myself as a reward for a completed job. The rail buggy was gassed up and ready to go, as far as I could tell. Granted, it was rusted, and a mishmash of welded metal held together by duct tape and paper clips with an engine that likely didn't perform as it once did, but it was functioning at least. Still, I needed a second opinion before I placed all my hope in the rickety machine.

"It's not that bad, now that I look at it," Moira remarked after examining different aspects of the vehicle. She kicked one of the tires, grease, and grime covering more of her Robco jumpsuit than usual, then wiped a rag across her face, serving only to smear the dark oil further over her forehead. "I'm shocked. They've done well to get it up and running. Not a lot of people in the Wasteland know how to repair the old-world cars, except for Talon. I didn't expect a bunch of smelly old raiders to figure this out."

"Doesn't sound like anyone else expected it, either," I said, furrowing my brow at the vehicle. It looked decent, and I use the term loosely, but my doubts still lingered. "You're sure this thing can get me all the way there? It won't fizzle out six miles down the road and make me walk the rest of the way?"

"I couldn't tell ya," said Moira too cheerily, smile wide and teeth showing, "It looks like it'll make it there and back. Nothing jumps out at me that's worrisome. But, I'm more worried about you. Do you even know how to drive?"

I shrugged. "Can't be too difficult. Do you?"

Moira grimaced. She ran her hand over the orange tinted cage surrounding the seats, a longing look in her eye. "Well, I've…um…read a few manuals about cars and uh…."

"So, no, then?" I surmised.

"No," Moira admitted.

"Josef does."

"Yes, Paul, I'm sure he does. But, he needs his rest."

"And I've watched him drive a few times."

Moira looked at her shoes, pondering my statement. "Well, part of the scientific method is to make observations."

"Indeed it is. And another part is to think of questions that need answering, like 'can I learn to drive in under ten minutes?'"

"A good start. What else?"

I lowered myself into the driver's seat. "Form a hypothesis. I can learn to drive in under ten minutes."

Moira took the passenger side and buckled up, hand on her jaw, face quizzically observing. "And we must experiment to test that hypothesis," she continued and poked at the minigun hanging off the side.

"And wouldn't you know it? We seem to be at a point where we can test our hypothesis, do we not?"

"We surely do."

I fired up the engine, fumes, and roars filling the small space and filtering out into the open air ahead. "Then, for the sake of science, we _must_ do everything we can to learn about this phenomenon and further the education of the masses!"

"Agreed!" Moira said, knocking her fist on her lap.

I stomped the gas pedal. The rubber squealed and the engine quaked. Exhaust billowed out in thick clouds and we were off in a puff of dust. I turned sharply to avoid a dumpster immediately outside, then gunned for the cracked asphalt leading around Springvale.

"Slow down!" Moira pleaded, hands covering the goggle lenses in front of her eyes.

"But the science!" I responded, then laughed madly as we picked up the pace.

Speed was my only concern as I kept my foot on the gas pedal, the brakes a forgotten option. I blasted by Silver's home, then to the right and towards Vault 101, and back around again while the engine bellowed like a beast out of its cage. The eyebot ritualistically patrolling the roadway bounced skyward as the roof of the buggy collided with its metal body, screeching with irreparable damage. A molerat scampered across the road, then retreated into a hole as the front-left wheel scraped over the position it had occupied. I laughed again, Moira joining in as the sense of speed and freedom overtook her as well. I made a hard left, alternating the pedals to bring us into a whirl. Dirt was flung all over and tire tracks burned in atop the already ruinous highway until we came to a stop.

Moira, frazzled and still grinning from ear to ear looked over, "That was fun!" she said, then laughed, "Oh, but that last part made me a little dizzy! I don't think this thing is going to have any trouble getting you to Rivet City!" Moira stated while she began to climb out, "You seem to be a capable driver, if a little inexperienced. I'm sure a road trip will help solve that."

"Where are you going?" I asked and patted the seat beside me, "There's no need to walk back to Megaton!"

Moira dropped back into the seat in less than a second, buckled her seat belt in another, and we drove casually back to town, proud of our proven hypothesis.

* * *

I shoved the bag containing my meager amounts of belongings into the passenger seat. There were only a few things I had looted from the raiders during our assault, the rest being back at the Jefferson Memorial with Dad. It was still early in the morning, only half-past nine, and the sun already seemed to lack the warmth I thought was forever in the Capital Wasteland.

"All packed up and ready to go?" Ana asked quietly. She still looked rattled from the previous two days, but much better than the first. Proper rest makes a sizable difference.

"I guess. It's not like I have too much to take with me," I replied, leaning on the rail buggy, "Josef not coming to see me off?"

"Church said he needed to change the bandages before he let him wander around. Wind and dust getting in it and all that. At least his legs are getting better," she said, "I don't think I could lug him around all the time if I wanted to."

I smiled crookedly, "Yeah, it's just a torture to have him right there, isn't it?"

"That's not what I mean and you know it," Ana said flatly. She paced around the car and scratched her neck without a word, worries clearly biting at her.

"Something wrong?" I asked being made uncomfortable by the silence.

"Nothing wrong, it's just…" she trailed off and sighed long, embarrassed, "I'm…uh…sorry for losing it the other day. We were all beat down and I shouldn't have made such a scene, not at their funeral. Sorry," she said as if she rehearsed the words in her head and only heard them out loud for the first time.

I shook my head. "Don't worry about it. You've saved my ass more than once already, so I can at least look out for you," I said gently.

Ana smiled, melancholy still, "You're sure you'll be okay? I mean, I know that you've gotten yourself out of tough places without us, and you're a lot better at this stuff now than you were, but…" she stopped and slapped her cheeks to refocus, "Sorry. I'm rambling again," she declared, then tried to muster up a minute amount of courage. She regained herself, a wry grin firmly in place. "I just don't know what I'll do with all this time on my hands, now that I won't need to watch your back anymore!"

"You'll find plenty of trouble without me, I'm sure!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Josef called out as he exited the gates of Megaton, "You two are saying goodbye without me?" he said as he hobbled toward us.

"Yeah, the party's over. Just missed it," I said, "Balloons, beer, the works."

"And after I took you out for one the first night we met. For shame."

"You also left me to fight off a few guys by myself."

Josef laughed cheekily, then sharpened his look. "Oh, that's right!" he said as his train of thought was put back on its rails, "That reminds me. It's time for your graduation ceremony!"

"My what?"

"Graduation!" Josef said, then cleared his throat, "You've passed every course that I, Professor Wasteland, have taught, which means you're a bona fide alumnus now. You'll be receiving your diploma in the mail sometime soon."

"Hang on, I've got some paper, can't you scribble something down?" Ana interjected. She pulled a small, wrinkled scrap paper from her left pocket and held it out for the "Professor" to take.

"If this were any other student, I'd have to follow the rules, but I'll make an exception for you," he said officially as he clicked the pen. He pressed down, letting the ink flow onto the raggedy paper and scratched a few messy words out. "There," he said and thrust the diploma at me.

I took it and read it over. "Uh, small problem," I said after reading it over.

"What's that?"

"My name is spelled P-A-U-L. The 'a' comes before the 'u.'"

"Damn dyslexia. It's close enough," he shrugged.

I shoved the paper into my coat, then glanced back at the buggy. The day was wasting, and I needed to be on my way, and soon. Strangely, though, I found myself wanting to stay almost as much as I wanted to leave. It wasn't like I had envisioned it to be when our trio first met. I assumed that we would part ways rather soon and without much fanfare, but I felt the first prickling of sadness as I pictured myself driving away, my two closest friends waving me off in the distance.

Josef hobbled to me while I stood in awkward silence, knowing exactly how to punctuate his goodbye. "Stay safe, little brother," he said as he grabbed my hand and slammed his shoulder against mine, the other hand slapping my back with painful force.

I was caught off-guard but returned the gesture. "You, too, big brother," I said, then mouthed "Look out for him," to Ana who nodded in acceptance.

"Now get out of here, your dad is probably worried about you by now," Josef said, pushing me towards the rail buggy, "Wouldn't want him to be looking for you this time."

At that, I waved them both goodbye one last time as I slipped into the driver's seat and started the car. I buckled my seat belt and placed my hands on the steering wheel, giving one cursory glance to the metallic walled settlement of Megaton that had marked the start of my journey. The engine belched fumes from the exhaust pipe as I pressed the gas pedal carefully, tires gripping and pushing me up the road out of town.

My eyes drifted towards the mirror without prompt from me as they both shrank into tiny figures, my companions, smaller and smaller, then disappeared altogether over the horizon.

* * *

I let out an enthused whoop as I bounced over another hill, the engine revving and tires screeching as they stained the cracked asphalt with burned rubber. The wind whipped my face and ran over the prickly top of my head with all the same force that spread the once puffy clouds above into soft, white streaks through the sky. Chilly, yes, enough to make me pull my coat closer and wish that I had gloves, but the exhilaration of driving staved off any discomfort of low temperatures. Radio tunes of Three Dog's choice blared out of the radio speakers that I had to admit were of higher quality than the usual wasteland variety. Ford had an exceptional ear for musical devices, a benefit that I reaped more than he considering he would soon be tossed into the tunnels to fix the water supply for the people he was going to slaughter two days prior. Irony is a real bitch sometimes.

The wide, open highway stretched out before me as a welcoming path to my new home, another adventure of sorts in all the right ways. Crashed cars lined the shoulder as if they parted for me, to speed me along in returning to my life. No, rushing to meet my new one. My old life was over, buried in the ground under tons of metal, housing all that I had ever known and all that I thought I ever would. But, at last, I felt it was time to take advantage of the world that had been opened with the unceremonious removal of a gear-shaped doorway. Aspects of me were left behind, but I had it all figured in my head that it was time to stop thinking on the what-ifs and start trying to move forward for the what-will-be. A wise sentiment, if not one I would hold to.

The day was still young to be making such bold resolutions, and that bright, morning sun would rise and fall many times with another person at the helm.

Ahead, on the edges where the road became dirt, came an enemy I rarely had the displeasure of running across. A group of angry radscorpions burst forth from the rocky ground below, stingers flicking around at the rumbling, roaring machine approaching rapidly. It was their hunting grounds, and they would be foolish to let some newcomer threaten their way of life. When I saw them take their place on the roadway, I brought my machine to a screeching halt. But, with an unnecessary show of force, I decided to test out some of the more destructive modifications on the rail-buggy.

The dash held numerous buttons, most of which activated a mundane feature like an extra cup holder, but the singular red switch on the top left was going to become my favorite. I flicked it, grinning wide as the cylinder attached to the side of my vehicle began to whir.

The radscorpions, knowing very little of what they were in for, stood their ground and readied their venom soaked appendages to pierce the flesh of this strange, clanking beast. Their pincers ready to slice began to click and snap while the whirring grew louder still. As the sounds reached their peak, screaming like a pot of boiling water ready to overflow, a spewing of bullets shredded their chitinous exterior mercilessly. Limbs and internal juices were flung and splayed out on the road, seeping between the cracks in the pre-war roadways and into the soft, moist ground below.

I smiled, pleased with the easy disposal and ended the onslaught. There wasn't a struggle, no tense firing of weapons held together by a glue stick and spit, only a total victory for me. It was refreshing to taste that victory, brief as it was, considering the usual struggle that accompanied any small triumph. In fact, I was so elated, I almost dared a deathclaw to climb out of whatever part of hell they were formed in for the sole purpose of proving I could bring it to an end as well. I felt strong, overwhelmingly so, as I found out how much of a difference a vehicle made in wasteland travel. Taking such a tool from the Springvale raiders was certainly a brilliant idea on my part, and I was becoming increasingly thankful that I was the only one interested in making the claim.

I stomped the gas pedal once again, engine roaring, exhaust spewing, and tires squealing as they tried to gain traction. And when they did grab, I was off, speeding down the road on my merry way, having, dare I say it, true fun for the first time in a long while. A subconscious grin was plastered on my face as a childlike glee gripped me, or maybe it was just my inhalation of too much gasoline fumes. Either way, I didn't want to question it for fear of ruining the moment. The activity was far too exciting, and I could only imagine what it was like to drive a car with so many others in the years before the Great War. Imagine a pristine road, everyone zipping all over as you traveled faster than anyone could ever hope to run, faster than anyone could imagine. It was a world I wanted to live in, but the concept of traffic always put a damper on my ignorant envisioning of the past.

The rest of the trip was rather uneventful, sadly. The road was clean and clear, devoid of any adversaries that couldn't be dispatched with a spin of my heavy weaponry.

It gave me time to think back on all the things I had overcome to that point, under the glowing ball of light that watched me through it all. It seemed like such a strange companion when I first set foot on the dusty surface only about a month prior. It wasn't the only difference in my life. So many things had changed since then. That last night I spent in the vault, I thought I knew what I was going to do the next morning. I was to wake up later than I was likely supposed to, drag myself out of bed and go to work in a job I didn't even want in the first place. Rinse and repeat until, well, 'till death do us part, since it was sort of like marriage. Married to a career, and an arranged marriage at that. It was home, at least, and I found myself missing the dull days walking the metal hallways, raising the smallest piece of hell for Butch and the others until I was able to call it a night.

I still do, in a way. Miss it, that is. I wonder my life might have been like if Dad had never decided to leave. Maybe I would've settled into my life as I knew it, got fat and lazy. Come to think of it, that'd be hard given the rationing of supplies. Maybe I would've been happy to live in blissful ignorance of the world above and never think about the truth. Hell, I might've even fallen in love, given enough time, maybe had a few brats of my own. But after Dad decided to leave, I didn't have much say in the matter. Life as I knew it was long gone, and there was no going back, no changing anything I had done or said.

No fixing broken relationships. No making it up to the closest friend I ever had, not that I could ever do anything that would suffice. No helping her through her grief, not that I could since I was the one that caused it. No bringing the dead back to life, especially not any assistants wrongly punished for trying to help a man he looked up to, and not an Overseer caught by the blind anger of someone who didn't understand the finality, the responsibility of taking a life. I couldn't will myself back to being purely human again, either. My blood was tainted, and nothing could change that, as far as I knew. There was no turning back, and I only had the choice of accepting it or denying it. I had, whether aware of it or not, already been put on the path that led me to what I am today.

A monster. And it all started with that one morning, that one act of anger. It compounded in a dank jail cell, a puff of green gas floating menacingly in the corner. It began to grow when I allowed that voice, born in pain, to have a foothold, to whisper in my ear. It became a force to be reckoned with when I allowed desperation and anger to meet, to mingle and become something more.

The Rivet City science lab was shockingly empty. There weren't busy scientists with busy minds scurrying back and forth, nor were there two strange men insisting that their business was more important than any other. The tables had been cleared of any instruments and clipboards, but otherwise untouched. Humming machines slept under the lights that turned off one by one, leaving them to be dark, save the large cylinder in the middle. Their master still paced the silenced room, giving her last goodbyes to them for what she assumed to be quite a while. She adjusted dials and locked doors, taking care not to leave any worry forgotten, like a mother tucking her children in for bed before she was whisked away. Once again, that same man with that same eager smile she loved and loathed in conflict crept back into her life and uprooted it in the same manner. She'd been through the same experience before and swore that she would never allow the same scenario to play out again. However, that time, things were different. It wasn't about opening fresh wounds, even if it felt like it. It was, as she explained once to me, in the name of closing old ones.

But I still raise the question, where was hers?

I watched from the walkway as she placed the last of her belongings in a crate, one far too large for her. "Don't forget the sink while you're at it," I joked.

Madison grasped desperately as a paper covered in scribbles escaped her hands and floated to the metal flooring. "Don't do that! You scared the living daylights out of me," she snapped, "Besides, what are you doing here anyway? James and the others are over at the Memorial getting things ready."

I walked down to the floor to help with the crate. "Then why aren't you there?" I asked with a huff as I pulled the box to my torso. A thought that maybe I shouldn't have decided to go the lab first raced through my mind.

Dr. Li's famous scowl appeared again, "Unlike you, who can apparently run off to God knows where without a second thought, I have a responsibility to Rivet City. I had to make sure everything was taken care of before I move over to the Jefferson. It's not like many others around here other than Horace and I are smart enough to develop a power source for the whole city that isn't based on hamster wheels," she bragged, but in a disdainful way, "But, the fusion core ought to keep the place up and running for a long while, assuming no idiot scavvers poke their heads in here while security isn't looking. Even they should be able to figure out that all you need to do is plug it back in."

"Why don't you just stay here if it's so important?" I asked as we passed into the ship corridor.

"Well, for one I was there when this disaster began years ago so it'd be a brilliantly idiotic thing to do if I were to miss the completion, two because Augustus has been insisting that I take some time to make sure everything here is all under control. I told him that it ought to take a few hours, maybe the whole day, but it looks like I was wrong. And lastly, because your father needs someone to reign him in from time to time. Like I said before, he's far too rash to be left alone for too long, much like yourself. Which leads me to my next question. Do you mind telling me where you've been these past few days? You've had us all worried sick," said she, giving me her best stern look.

"I-"

"Nevermind. It doesn't matter," she interrupted, "And be careful with my things, please. Those tools are hard to come by."

I shuffled the box and hurried after Dr. Li, who didn't seem adjust her speed to account for the fact that I was carrying a box at least half her weight, perhaps more. "How's Dad doing anyways?"

"Exhausted, same as always. And between Autumn rushing him and you running off, I can't imagine he's been sleeping much at all," she grumbled while we brushed by a few loitering citizens. "When we get back, you need to go and speak to him whether you're staying or not."

"I hear you, and I intend to stick around this time."

"Good. That's good," she agreed, "Maybe you can finally see what this is all about, too. Did James tell you yet?"

I shrugged, jostling the contents of the box. "He mentioned something the morning I left. He said that Mom was hoping it would bring people together."

"That's the gist of it. I've always been skeptical of it, to be frank, but it's worth a try. The way we live now, in run-down buildings and pre-war ruins, can't last forever. This mentality of us versus them isn't helping us rebuild to what humanity once was, not when everyone is out for themselves, and maybe unifying people over something as simple as water can break that mindset."

"I guess that makes sense. But isn't it smart to take care of yourself first, then worry about other people?"

Dr. Li's scowl seemed to soften. "There isn't a problem with taking care of yourself. But, it becomes a problem when you start hurting others to accomplish that goal. The first survivors had to do in the years after the War, but we don't have to anymore. It's been two-hundred years since then, and it's time we stop fighting over scraps of preserved Salisbury steak and start putting it all back together."

"If it were possible, wouldn't people have figured that out already?"

"It's hard to stop thinking in a certain way when that's all you've been told, and when it seems to get the job done, it makes it even harder to stop," Li said as we walked across the bridge, the splashing river below, "I'm not an idealist, though. I know that we can't turn the wasteland into a utopia, not without anything short of a miracle. We'll always have people that only care about themselves, but if we can bring enough people back together, wake them up and remind them that the War wasn't the end of humanity, then maybe one day, we can see something like the pre-war times," she explained, smiling warmly for the first time since I had met her, "That's what your mother wanted to use this purifier for. Not to clean away all the abominations and opportunists like groups have tried for decades, but to begin rebuilding by caring for others. To plant the first seed. It's no GECK…"

"…But it is a start," I looked out across the water at the dome-topped Jefferson Memorial, taking in what my mother had set in motion. "Seems shaky to me. Do you really think it'll work?" I doubted.

Madison sighed thoughtfully. "I have no idea, honestly, but fixing who we are is a good enough place to start. It's not like we could start over from scratch."

I adjusted my grip on the crate once again. It was beginning to get heavy, and the walk back to the Jefferson Memorial was far too long for a weight like it. "By the way, I've got a ride parked behind a pile rubble out of the way up ahead. I doubt anyone's seen it. You want to walk all the way back or..."

"Where on earth did you get a vehicle?" Dr. Li asked before I could finish my own question. She placed her hands on her hips, glaring at me as if I were expected to confess to something awful. She thought the world of me, really.

"It's been a long few days, Dr. Li. I'll tell you on the way over," I grumbled while we began the descent to the rocky ground.

I found out that Dr. Li was a backseat driver, or a passenger seat driver, rather. She yelled at me and instructed how to properly drive, but from what experience, I'll never know. I guess it was part of her nature to boss me around. Frankly, the act wasn't particularly bothersome, but being interrupted in the middle of a riveting tale is. Regardless, Dr. Li was more worried about her well-being than my ups and downs during my absence.

Finally, the Jefferson Memorial. From atop the car wall, it unsurprisingly looked the same as it did before, but with decidedly less mutant corpses covering the grounds. The stench lingered, though, pungent as ever.

"Could you help me?" Madison said, extending her hand up towards me.

"What? Age getting to you already?" I joked and, being the proper lad that I was, took her hand and pulled her up.

"Don't push it. After that _disaster_ you call driving, you're on thin ice as it is," she huffed while dusting off her lab coat, "And I don't know why, with the collective intellect gathered inside, no one has bothered to knock this damn barricade down."

"Willing to bet Augustus has a reason for it."

"Hmph!" she began, rant incoming, "I'm sure he does! It's called paranoia! Much like every other decision he makes, it's probably only jumping at shadows."

Madison vented about the old commander as we crossed the rest of the bridge about a trait I hadn't figured he possessed. True, the man appeared to be emotionally charged at times, likely due to stress, but not the kind that would strike anywhere near fearful, but I digress.

Around the corner stood Linwood, calm and collected. In his hand, he held some sort of blinking device to the sky, straight as an arrow. When it dinged and vibrated, he lowered it to his mouth and muttered a few inaudible words to it, a careful, scrutinizing eye watching outwards. The noise of our approach alerted him to the reality of fleeting solitude. A strange look appeared on his face.

"What's that?" I asked like a curious child.

Linwood shifted his eyes back and forth. "Only a device we found inside. I wasn't sure it functioned properly, so I brought it out here to get better lighting."

"Ah. So, does it work?"

He shook his head and thrust the device into one of his numerous pockets. "Paul, what are you doing here? I thought you left us?"

"Yeah, I did. But, I assumed my dad might be worried, so I came back."

"That's…" Linwood paused, "Probably right. And I see you brought Dr. Madison Li back with you?"

Madison didn't respond to the invitation to converse.

"Is she sure there wasn't anything else needing to be done? No loose ends to tie up in Rivet City? There's still time before we begin."

"I'd say no, or else she wouldn't have come back," I said.

"I guess so," he agreed, displeased at the response. Linwood looked back up into the sky, some cloud or flying thing distracting him. He was focusing on something so intently that I decided it best to leave him be.

I turned to enter the Memorial.

"Just a second, Paul," he piped up.

"Problem?"

"Yes, in fact. I heard your father talking earlier. It seems there is a part of the purifier inside that needs replacing. I've heard that some junk salesmen in Rivet City carry it. Perhaps you could make yourself useful and check into it?"

I grimaced. "Well, I was hoping that I could let Dad know I'm here, first."

Linwood laid his hand on my shoulder, looking eye to eye. He seemed so sincere, so gentle. "Trust me, Paul," he insisted, tone soft yet serious, "It'd be for the best if you go. It'd save us a lot of trouble."

His words were strange, but he did make a point. Dad and everyone else had likely been working around the clock, and I had the opportunity to make things easier on them. Perhaps the part could be an olive branch I could extend to Dad to soften the tension that would make our second reunion difficult. "Okay. I guess I'll go. What does it look like?"

Linwood retrieved a folded paper from another of his multitude of bags and opened it. "This ought to be a good enough picture for the shopkeeper," he said with a point to the cylindrical device displayed, "One of them is bound to have it, so just check with them all. And take your time so that you don't miss it."

I took the slip of paper and looked it over. It appeared official and pristine other than being folded over several times, almost as if it were freshly plucked from a printer. "Alright, then. I'll be back in a few. Just do me a favor and let Dad know I'm on my way back."

"Of course. Now go."

Another deviation, and one that I wish I would never have taken.

* * *

I sighed, unsuccessful in the one responsibility I had been given. Augustus was sure to give me an earful when I got back if the importance of the part was to be believed. I did all I could, yet it didn't matter in the slightest. Still, it was good that Seagrave had another Grognak issue in stock, although I told myself that Autumn didn't need to know about it. I stepped out of the market and into the open air, sun drenching the sky in a creeping orange as the day waned. But a peculiar trio of sounds began to fill my ears; chopping, whirling and the screeching of engines. A small crowd had begun to gather on the walkway and on the bridge over the river. I peered over the bodies, trying to see what was so important to bring the bustling populace to a halt.

Really, who in Rivet City had time to stop and gawk at something?  
"Hey," I said to one of the security guards leaning against the wall behind the crowd, "What's everyone so curious about?"

She spat on the ground. "Enclave vertibirds or something. A couple of them flew over a minute ago with some guys in power armor hanging off the edge," she said, disinterested in the sight, "Another came by just before you walked out here. I just hope they keep moving," she said, distressed.

I cupped my ear to listen for more tell-tale signs of the spinning propellers. A green aircraft peeked out from behind a ruined skyscraper in the distance, then hurried across the sky to buzz right above us. Inside stood three figures, armor black as night with hints of rust and wear marring their pristine nature. Disconcerting beings looked down at us as if they were from another world. They continued directly to the West.

A horrifying idea grew tall.

No, it was only paranoia.

They couldn't be.

"Uh," I began, my hands beginning to tremble, fighting back the worst of thoughts, "Where were they headed?"

The guard groaned. "Looked like the Jefferson, alright? Just look if your gonna look or get out of…"

I didn't listen to the rest of her dialogue. I heard everything I needed from the first sentence.

Somehow, miraculously, even, it all began to add up. The lies, the secrecy, the Enclave, it all made sense. These weren't just mercenaries with a bad past, they were more than that. Everything clicked into place, but at a time unhelpful.

My blood ran cold.

Sweat broke out on my forehead.

Goosebumps rippled across my skin.

Ba-bump.

Ba-bump.

My heart skipped a beat.

Dad, what had you done?

What had you gotten into?

What was going on?

I shouldered my way through the dumbstruck crowd, earning myself shouts and curses. My feet became a blur as I sprinted with all my might across the bridge, barely staying upright for the descent. Two people were admiring my ride as I leaped into the seat. They said a few words to me, but I wasn't listening. The gas pedal hit the floor faster than it ever had before as I shot off like a rocket ready to explode.

What did they need people in power armor for?

Was this the Enclave?

Who the fuck even was the Enclave?

I clipped the side of a parked car. The wheels jerked to the right and I pulled to the left. Straight again, and hurtling down the road as a meteor entering the stratosphere. The wind was colder than ever before. The speedometer was as far as it could go.

Why, Dad?

Who were these people?

What did they want with you?

I slammed the steering wheel to the left, swerving around the corner and starting across the bridge. Two vertibirds were already touching down, power-armored giants with piercing, yellow eyes climbing out, rifles ready. I leaped from the seat and began to run once again.

Up and over the car wall. My legs burned as I sprinted wildly, bolts of light and heat streaking by me. My coat was on fire. The men in armor shouted at one another as I made a bee-line for the entrance. I dropped my torched jacket and dashed into the gift shop door, the hulking beings in personal tanks left behind.

Did they not know who I was? Why were they shooting at me? I needed to find Augustus and clear it all up.  
The rotunda. They had to be.

I followed the signs posted on the wall since memory couldn't be trusted at the time. Down the incline and into the atrium, then into the large door ahead. I burst into the room, no one there to stop me. I dragged myself up the stairs, heaving for oxygen while my heart fluttered, pumping like mad.

"Open the damn door, Augustus!" Madison screamed, pounding her fists on the glass enclosure around the control room. She pressed the button to cycle the lock rapidly to no avail. It wouldn't respond.

"What is going on?" I asked, struggling to breathe through gasps that brought me close to vomiting. I leaned on my shaking knees, doubled over in exhaustion.

"Open this door, now!" she yelled again in disregard to my question.

"Madison, please!" Dad yelled back, craning his neck to look beyond the figure before him, "I'm handling this!" he assured, then turned to Autumn. "Look, Augustus, this wasn't what we had agreed on!"

I raised my head at the name, taken aback by the utterance of it. The man that stood inside the control room across from Dad wasn't who I had been in the company of before. He stood, valiant and powerful, immovable as a boulder and with all the authority of all the people I had known combined.

No, I had seen this man once before, but only for a moment. He stood atop the corpses of the previous mutant inhabitants, that accepting look in his eye. As he had done then, he stood in the company of his most trusted men, Linwood and Warren, both of whom said nothing out of turn like the loyal subordinates they were.

Augustus clasped his hands behind his back and frowned deeply as he searched for a proper response. "No, it isn't, James, but this is what I am left with. You don't need to make this sound so personal," he drawled with sickening emotion, regret, in his voice, "This isn't something I take pleasure in. You know that, Lin here knows that, and I know that. If there was another way, don't you think I'd take it?"

"Then why haven't you?" Dad pleaded, fists balled in anger.

Autumn dropped his shoulders in a remorseful manner. "I was very clear when I contacted you in that Vault that I was at the end of my rope, and you were made well aware that I was both willing and able to do what needs to be done, however that took shape."

"But to murder Janice in cold blood?" Dad shouted in fury, motioning with his hand to the body of a scientist lying on the floor. He forced down a disgusted reaction with a hard gulp. "I thought that there would be no need for killing as long as I complied with you! How in God's name can you sit there and claim the high ground for this?"

Autumn seemed to be hit by pangs of regret. "You mistake my willingness to act as a claim to moral superiority. I haven't had the gall to say something like that, James."

"Then stop this insanity! None of this is necessary, Colonel!"

"It is, Mr. Carver, and you know that."

"How do you know that? Is this what you intend to begin with? An act of cruelty, of greed?"

"You're nearly the same age as I am, yet you sound as naive as your son," Autumn grumbled, "It's what America was built on the first time, and we'll do it again if it means regaining what we were. I will take the responsibility and bear it so no one else has to," Autumn said, brave and self-congratulatory despite the circumstance.

"And we'll end the same way," Dad retorted, teeth gritted, "That's what Catherine believed! It's what she died for," Dad said, hand creeping down to his side. His fingers flicked, conflicted in their motion as if a better part was pleading for him to reconsider.

"There are faults in her idealism, James. Unlike before, we will have the knowledge about the cause of our downfall, which was not greed. And you! You lack ambition and foresight, Carver! You would throw away a chance to rebuild our foundation for redemption in the eyes of a woman dead for nineteen years!" the Colonel bellowed, raising his hand in the air, "It's why I need to do this, James. We'll rebuild on a common good, just as the Old World did!"

"You'll choke a civilization that's already being suffocated! With the ashes of the one before it, no less!"

"And after two hundred years since then, it's become abundantly clear," he stated, thumb and finger in position to snap, "A truly prosperous country can't be built on the trash of a dead one," Augustus argued.

"Open the fucking door!" I demanded while I pounded my fists on the door. Autumn turned around, noticing my presence at last, as did the others in the room. Their eyes opened wide and brows collectively raised in surprise.

All the color drained out of Dad in an instant. He mouthed a single word, a short, solitary syllable in one breath. Three shots rang out.

Dr. Li screamed and fell to the ground, head covered. I slammed my fists on the glass wall, cracking the skin on my knuckles and not the door.

Augustus Autumn crumpled to the floor, hand pressing hard on his chest. Warren's face flashed horror for only a second, then rage in another.

A red beam leaped into my father's side. Linwood fired again. Dad fell to the ground next as two glowing holes burned through his body, one at the base of his neck, the other above his waist. My head began to spin out of control as I screamed like a wounded animal. Blood splattered on the glass wall with every pointless hit from me.

"Attention all Enclave personnel, the Colonel is down! Medics report to the rotunda immediately," Linwood barked into a device, voice trembling as he dumped the contents of his bags on the ground, "All other personnel, lock down the building! No one leaves!"

"Paul! Come on!" Dr. Li ordered. She struggled to pull me away from the glass and dug her nails into my arm, fear overtaking her as well.

"I'm not leaving him!" I screamed, salty tears pouring down my cheeks in panic, my hand outstretched, "We can't leave him!" I repeated and broke away. Madison tugged at my arms while I clawed at the bottom of the sliding door. My fingers couldn't get a grip underneath the seal. He couldn't die there. I couldn't lose him in there. He was all I had left.

"They're coming, Paul! We need to leave now, or none of us will make it out alive!"

"I'll fucking kill all of them!" I shouted, fury, hate, and sorrow twisting together to birth something awful, the monster finally clawing out of the pit, "I'll kill them! I'll kill all of them!"

"Get a grip!" Madison cried out and slapped me across the face, "I need you to follow me or we'll all die!"

"But they-" I sobbed. A stinging welt burned its way into my cheek.

"Now!" Dr. Li commanded as she dragged me away from the glass.

Warren pounded the door cycle with his meaty hands, eyes locked on me as I ran down the stairs with the doctor while Linwood knelt over the Colonel, begging silently for the medics to arrive soon.

"You won't escape me!" Warren howled, low and guttural, "I will find you!"

My ears shut themselves off to his threats. I followed Madison back into the atrium as two soldiers stormed the room. Upon seeing us, they fired their laser rifles, scorching the pillar we passed behind.

"Everyone should be in here!" she shouted, motioning to a small hole in the floor, "We can escape through the maintenance tunnels!" Madison said and climbed in.

Light was scarce, but it was enough for me to see that we were the only two in the passage. "Where are they?" I asked as I dropped down into the tunnel.

Dr. Li covered her mouth and shook her head, tears forming in her eyes as well.

"Where are they?" I demanded to know. I whipped my head back and forth to find them.

She shut her eyes hard, then opened them slowly again. "We need to keep moving," she choked out, barely above a whisper, "We can follow these tunnels and escape. Hurry!" she cried out, voice breaking apart at last.

We were the only ones left, and she couldn't admit it.

The darkness swallowed us whole as we dashed through the underground passage, her flashlight and the glow from my Pip-boy the only thing to guide us. Contaminated puddles splashed and wet the bottom of our shoes in our ill-fated flight, voices, and stomps from above shaking the corridor, all other noises nonexistent.

I stopped for a moment as we entered an open area. Two soldiers passed above in a fenced-in area, luckily missing our presence in their hurry.

"What are they doing down here?" she whispered in a frenzy from the shadows, "No one knows about these tunnels other than us!"

I cursed our luck and ran ahead as more Enclave soldiers followed the others. One stopped for a moment and looked down, spotting her immediately. Dr. Li covered her head and ran along behind me as the man fired at her, the heat from his laser warping the metal floor. It only became deeper, darker and quieter as we fled from our attackers, breathless gasps from us both and light footsteps echoing behind and ahead.

We couldn't go much further since a heavy door like one belonging to a bank vault blocked the path. Off to the side, a large open room with different types of machinery. Dials, cranks, and pumps linked to rusted pipes that snaked their way up the concrete walls.

Dr. Li, for a moment, seemed relieved to see that damn door. She greeted it like the entrance to the land of Canaan, not like the dead-end it was. "We should be almost in the clear. Once I get the door open, they won't be able to catch us. Just keep a lookout," Madison whispered, "And while you're at it. Check that room there for anything we can use."

Not an ideal thing to spend your time when your mind is reeling from traumatic shock, but I couldn't find the words to argue. I mindlessly wandered through the door and made my way over to the first container I could find. A pistol, a damn knife, anything to help me defend Madison and me if luck turned for the worse. Useless, useless, useless, all of it! Junk and trash! The metal box was thrown across the room in anger. If only Dad were with us, I pondered, then maybe he would…

I shivered.

It could only get worse.

The ground quaked and the concrete floor splintered as an armor encased giant dropped from above, hungry for the kill. He wanted to follow through on his prior threats. The top of his head was uncovered, an invite to any who would dare to battle him. The war-scarred face of the giant was obscured by a tubed mask, and the rest of his body was plated by some make bulkier than any power armor model I have ever seen. Blue liquid flowed out from a core, climbed his limbs and filtered to his neck, a coolant.

I knew the giant. He had been there since the start. "Hurry, Dr. Li!" I shouted as I leaped at Warren. My leg collided with a dull thud, an ache drilling down to the bone. No dice. I backed up and tried again, but I was stopped by a metal hand. The sudden cessation of motion slung me around and smashed my face against a war-machine. He lowered me slightly. In a tangled mess I hung, neck bent and head on the floor. I struck his hand with all my strength, but flesh rarely conquers peak personal protection.

"I'm try- Oh my God!" Dr. Li screamed and ducked back around the corner.

"Why are you doing this?" I pleaded, desperate for anything, for an answer that would make it all easier.

"Sorry, boy," he grunted, voice altered to sound robotic by the face cover. His eyes looked cold, grey and emotionless as he took his last non-hostile glances at me. "Orders are orders," he acknowledged and wrapped his massive fingers around my other leg to lift my body above him. The next moment I was thrown through the air, flipping. My head whipped against the wall, blurring everything in front of me and reducing all noises to a dull ringing. It was all uneven, my sight, the ground, Warren. Had to stand up. Had to keep fighting. I raised my hands clumsily and took a swing at the man that bore down on me. It collided with his abdomen with a small ding.

He returned with his beloved super-sledge. I slid across the ground, scraping across the shattered concrete from before until a piece jutting straight up stopped me. My left hand felt as if it had been seared from fingertip to palm. I felt the strongest urge to cough. Every internal organ wretched and twisted.

A scarlet river flowing. On me. On the ground. Everywhere.

Drowning in it.

The giant broke into a sprint at me. I dragged myself to my feet, one hand trying to hold my mangled body together while another tried to raise up from the spike dividing it. Concrete daggers twisted in my shredded skin, agonizingly burrowing deeper. I peeled myself off the rending teeth and roared at the advancing warrior, leg lifted and ready to kick him back with all the strength I had remaining. Everything was pinned on my last effort. My life, Madison's, the vengeance for the people killed by these wolves in sheep's clothing. He needed to pay for what he had done, for what the others had done. It had to work, no matter the cost. A cornered cat becomes a lion.

Warren lowered his shoulder and increased his speed without regard to my hopes.

Every noise became like the crackling of a growing fire, but it was all black when the numbness set in. A part still wanted to fight, though. Feet planted themselves on the ground, unsteadily, but with all the intention of staying upright. The world turned. It was all wrong. So loud. The ground held me close. Metal from above kissed my throat.

New competitors joined the slaughter of the young man named Paul Carver.

"Lyon's Pride! Put 'em down!" a woman's voice directed as bangs and the sound of singed, popping air joined the ringing in my ears. Cracks of thunder and shadows danced in the tomb with the giant, leaving me to watch as they all became one blurred image.

"Son of a bitch!" a voice said as footsteps approached me. A figure knelt over me, but the details of the being were too fuzzy to comprehend. "Stay with me, son, we're going to get you out!"

"Holy shit!" another exclaimed, "There's blood everywhere! He's going, and fast, Sentinel!"

An order was given to both, but the words were slurred to me, some foreign language. The thumping was readily overtaking it, then quieting itself as well until it stopped altogether.

A scream from so far away.

Ice crept up my body in a ceaseless march, tickling my fingers and the soles of my feet first. It then waltzed up against my legs, uninvited, and covered my arms with a sheet of cold. I wanted to shake it away, but it commanded me to stay put with an authority that I couldn't refuse. It'd give that bastard Autumn a run for his money, maybe even Alphonse, but they seemed like distant memories of a different man.

It was so cold and I only needed to warm up. I needed to take a deep breath, too, but I was exhausted and the sea was rising fast. I could feel it when the calm waves lapped over the ice, breaking it away and pulling me along as well.

Even thought it didn't do much for the freeze, the pale sunlight blinded me. It became so bright, but I knew I had to keep going to it. To go back was not an option, and, strangely, I entertained the thought of accepting it. Really, it wasn't like I could do anything, and I wasn't afraid like I imagined. Not like I was the first time.

 _ **I WILL KILL THEM ALL. MAKE THEM AFRAID WHEN THEY DIE.  
**_

There was no more fighting, only rest well deserved.

 _ **BURNING. BOILING. RIP THEM APART.  
**_

The pain was gone. Time to pass through.

 _ **I WILL KILL THEM ALL. BREAK THEM.**_

We tried to dive into the waves.

 _ **BREAK THEM.**_

But we couldn't.

 _ **NOT YET.**_

Not yet.


	30. A Table for Two

Chapter Thirty

A Table for Two

 _~ ? ~_

I looked across the extravagant dining table, past the single candle in the middle, to eye the figure seated in the shadows who mumbled incoherently to himself. Every motion made by his hand was fidgety at best, and full of destructive intent at worst, evident in his reach for the smallest morsel on his plate. At first, his hand shook, pale and weak, strength ready to vacate him, then his hand grew large and slammed to the plate with enough force to crack the porcelain. Enthused grunting sounded from the darkness enveloping him as he returned his hand to his mouth. His tongue played on his fingers, starved for even a speck of sustenance.

I sat on my end of the table, quiet and uncomfortable as a house guest with family they didn't find even the slightest amount of pleasure in visiting as his greedy slurping filled my ears. A plate was placed in front of me as well, but I resisted the urge to look at it, no matter how the powerful the pangs of hunger hit. I knew the food waiting for me was disgusting in every sense of the word. Grotesque, ghastly, abhorrent, each of these words fit what I assumed was placed in front of me, despite the aroma being rather intoxicating, given the right situation. Wanting to leave the table was ever present in my thoughts, but the blackness around us prevented me from trying such a bold endeavor. Or perhaps the proper word would be _idiotic_. Leaving would allow the other to sit at the table unattended and unrestricted. It was a risk I wasn't willing to tolerate.

So, out of options, we stared at each other, locked in an battle of endurance. We remained silent for long stretches of time and engaged in heated debates for other fleeting moments. I, for a while, seemed to have the upper hand in our talks, but as the clock ticked, moving us through the passage of time, the ground began to shift beneath me. He learned much quicker than I imagined and began to counter my rebuttals with rationalizations that were too accurate to be comfortable. As he feasted, he grew, and as he grew, he became angrier at me, the restrictive zookeeper who thought twice about feeding him. But so far, he always found a way to entice me, to _trick me_ , into preparing a meal for him, for us both.

"Eat," the being on the other side commanded, voice like a man trying to hold to his last vestiges of patience before diving off into the pit of fury eating away at him. He reached out again, an unseen rope holding him back, but managed to pick one more piece from his meal before being dragged back into his dilapidated chair.

I shook my head, again, as I had done often in this same scenario. "No. I don't want to make a habit of it."

"Eat. Now," he demanded. He beat his fist on the table, fingers clenched tight enough to dig his fingernails into his palm and draw blood. He hissed and grumbled when I didn't respond. "You fight me. Why? You're hungry."

I took the cloth from my lap, set it on the table unfolded, and crossed my arms in front of me. "I said I've had enough. I've tasted it once, and I don't like it, end of story," I insisted, sliding lower in my seat.

The other howled, both entertained and furious, confusing himself with his own thoughts. "You're not hungry at all?" he snarled, globs of saliva dripping from his maw.

"No. You seem to think I am, though. Why would I ever want to eat more of this poison?" I motioned to the plate in front of me, vomit in the back of my throat as I glimpsed at it for only a moment.

"It's only the taste you do not like," he noted, exasperated by my resistance, "If we were to have something you want, would you eat with me?"

"It'd still be poison, just a with a sweeter taste."

"Stop. Just eat with me and we can be happy."

"Satisfied, you mean. You'll never be happy."

He stood up, teeth flashing at me from the dark, eyes shining with hot flames. "And neither will you! Only I have kept us alive so long. You would have died without me. You are weak, and I am strong. We would have never found him without my help, and I haven't heard a word of thanks yet."

I shot up to face him. "Don't you dare bring my father into this! If you wouldn't have dragged me away from him, we could've made up before those fuckers killed him!" I shouted, "You want a thanks? Thanks for ruining everything!"

"You didn't fight me over it when we ran away, why now?"

"Because I can't ever speak to him again! What part of that do you not understand? That was my last chance, and you took it from me!"

"Our last chance. And how do you figure it was my fault?"

"It wasn't your chance! It was mine!" I screamed as I swiped my hand over the table to knock my plate to the floor, "You came in here and set up this damn table like you owned the place! You were never welcome!"

He looked down at the mess and laughed, mad as could be and pleased with that madness. "You try to deny it, but we are both joined at the hip. Together in the cradle. Try to cut us apart, and you'll find another bridge holds me to you every time. Why not accept it? You use my strength, and by that, I mean you try to when it's convenient. Then, you toss me back into the cage every time the slaughter is over as if we were never a team," he grumbled, feigning some semblance of friendliness, "How about you give me the key for a while instead of poking me with a hot iron?"

"Because I don't need you," I said, "I've fought my way across the wasteland by myself, and I fought my way out of the Vault by myself."

"You've killed by yourself, too. Several times, in fact. I wasn't even born at the time."

"Don't bother with that, it's a tired point as is and I've already decided how I feel about it. He killed Jonas and tried to kill me as well. He deserved it. See, that's the difference between you and me; I don't kill for some twisted enjoyment. I do it to stay alive, and only when it's necessary."

"What of the others obeying him?"

"What about them? They were the same."

He ripped more food apart with his crooked teeth, fluids glistening in the candlelight. "They were as judged by you? These people you knew from childhood, who might've given you the benefit of the doubt were guilty as charged? What was it that she said? That girl, Amaya? Amanda?"

"Amata. And that's enough."

"Who appointed you judge, jury, and executioner? That was it, wasn't it?"

"I did, that's who. Who's to say that he wouldn't have hurt more people after I left? He was losing control, and someone needed to stop him, not to mention he had a revolver pointed at my head with her still standing there."

"Who's to say he _would_ hurt anyone else? Who's to say that he would've even shot you in the first place?"

"You don't point a gun at someone you don't intend to hurt."

"Fair enough. But why not just take the weapon and leave? You easily overpowered him, being nearly thirty years younger, at least."

"Because he didn't offer Jonas that mercy, either. He tied him to a chair and beat him to death. It was poetic that he ended the same way."

"Only we could describe a death as poetic. Or, how about I be precise like you want me to be? Only _you_ could describe a death as poetic," he jabbed, "Not to mention, you only started on him when I could have been speaking about any other victims of yours."

The candle flickered for a moment, leaving us alone in the dark together. In that small time, I recoiled as the ice crept in from the edges of my chair, freezing the plastic and turning it hard and brittle. "Yeah, put it all on me now, but only because you want to goad me into something," I slurred as the candle breathed again, lighting the dark with a pale glow, "Besides, you aren't worth all that much since this is where you've landed us," I pointed at the tiny flame.

He raised his head from the table, heaving as air escaped him. "But without me, we wouldn't be having this conversation. He would have broken us."

I sucked the oxygen down greedily, hoping that the other would suffocate first. "He did break us. We're dead and I'm just waiting for you to be shut up forever."

"And when I go, I'll take you with me," he spat and clawed at the tablecloth, "You should know by now that the clock ticks for you, not me. Your end of the table will shrink and mine will grow as the days, weeks and months add up, so why not get used to it? Together, we could go back and bury them in the graves they dug for you. You could play the judge and jury while I get to be the executioner. Then, when all's said and done, you could let nature run its course."

I held my mouth shut and frowned.

His grin grew large. "Ah, so that's the taste you'd like," he gargled.

"I would not."

"You sit over there and look down on me, but you'd eat until you were fat and happy if we had something like that on your plate."

I grabbed at my growling stomach, "And what would I gain from it?" I asked over the rumbling, wishing it would stop being so loud, "I would wipe them off the face of the earth, but I'll never get Dad back. I'll never be able to go back home again, and I could never make myself believe a lie again."

"You'd get closure. You'd get peace of mind."

"Not with you in here, I wouldn't."

"But I want to taste it as much as you do. I felt every ounce of the pain they put us through. Every broken bone, every cut and every drop of blood. Every teardrop, and it makes me want their heads on a pike. I'd forego many meals if we could have just those three flavors, and maybe, finally, you'd stop being so damn picky about everything."

"And eventually you'll be hungry all over again, but without a preferred flavor to quiet you. I know you," I retorted, voice drowned under the growling of my stomach.

"And I know you. You won't starve yourself for someone else," he said with certainty.

"I would so I could put you in the ground."

"You hate them more than you hate me, else you wouldn't still be holding out, not after how long it's been. You aren't fighting so hard for the reason of waking up, going on your merry way and living happily ever after, not that people like us can ever have something like that even if we did want it. Our feet won't stop while we're alive, so we should make the most of it before it all comes to an end."

I picked up my glass and swirled the drink within. The details of the table looked hazy through the refracted light, little as it was. I squeezed my eyes shut, cursing under my breath and wincing as the crimson liquid grew all the more delectable. "Once I step over that line, there won't be any coming back."

"You wouldn't want to anyway," he hissed as he leaned over the table eagerly and grinned.

I looked at the drink, thirst rising as I entertained the notion. "There are too many variables. Things could change, and I would be left without any other options."

"They won't. Besides, all that matters it what you want now," he declared, "You have nothing left. No home, no family, and your friends probably have you figured for dead if they even know what happened. Who's to say that you'll ever meet them again, anyway? And if you do, they would care enough about you to help you achieve your goal if they're worth having. If not, then there will be no one left to judge you, except for me, and I am only the executioner," the other said. He took aim with laced arrows of truth, and I knew it.

I lifted the glass to my lips, hesitant. Starvation ripped me apart from the inside out, and thirst dried me to dusty bones. I sighed. "Let me make this crystal clear; If we do this, then I get to decide what comes after. Not you."

"If that's what helps you sleep at night, then sure. You get to choose."

It would have to suffice. I turned the bottom of the glass to the black ceiling as the candle flickered once again. I drank the red fluid and allowed the bitterness to turn sweet on my tongue as the glass was emptied. Darkness encroached and left me in a void once again, the other choking with me as we found ourselves in a frosty vacuum. I struggled to keep myself from planting my face on the table, as he had already done while the last wisps of breath left my lungs. The dining table began to rot, the wood curled and broke away as every sliver of light vacated the room.

The candle lit itself once again, moments after I blacked out. The table rebuilt itself in a timely manner, going so far as to reset my end of the banquet.

My vision returned as did the light and I looked down at my plate for the first time.

It was empty like his. I looked at my hands. They were filthy and stained like his.

"Now," he gasped and tried to pick up where he left off. The glow of the candle illuminated his face, at last, a mirror image of myself, but offering a glimpse of what I was becoming. "Before that thing goes out again, have we reached an agreement?"


	31. A Kindly Offer

Chapter Thirty-One

A Kindly Offer

 _~ ?~_

Delirium whispered in my ear, followed by the shriek of fear left dormant for however long I was gone. I gasped, panicked, then inhaled deep and slow to take in the air that felt long staled in the musk of a comatose body. A rapid beeping was the next sound to ride on the coattails of the disturbed fluid in the back of my throat that gradually dissipated with each passing moment. Grey ceiling tiles, scrubbed raw of any flaking paint or dust particle were my first hazy sight. The next was an assortment of medical equipment hanging next to me, tubes snaking their way to various points of insertion. Another thick tube reached around from the other side and held tight to my mouth. It breathed into me, but the taste was sterile on my dried tongue. Still, it was better than the feast.

" _Where in…?"_ said an instinctive thought when nothing familiar made itself apparent. Even my own thoughts sounded jumbled as if they too were still lacking the proper means to re-engage. I tried to summon the strength to curl my wooden fingers, eyes glossed over, but finally open at the end of what felt like an endless, restless sleep. One, two, three, four, and a thumb to count. I repeated the pattern thrice to assure myself that I could still feel my hand from palm to fingertips. Each time I moved them quicker, trying to match the beeping marching in rhythm, but it always remained out of reach by only milliseconds. Next, I had to move my left for balance's sake.

One, but halfway lifted. _"Slow, Paul. It takes time,"_ spoke a calming message to my own self. Surprising, given the circumstances.

Two stayed quiet.

Three leaped readily.

Four slept.

And five, the thumb, twitched weakly. Something chafed between my fingers and altogether blocked a few. Curiosity said for me to look down and find the obstruction, but a vice held my neck in place. My struggles were useless and only served to awaken the blinding agony that flashed visions in my newly opened eyes. It all came flooding back when the dam broke, ripping me out from my slow wake and dragging me downstream. I blinked to fight the ghosts away, but they became all too clear. Warren stood over me and the corpse of my father swung from above as a sickly shade. He was emptied of all that he once was. The beeping rushed to close the gaps of quiet between its chirps.

Hands reached out, firm yet gentle, and held me still. I traced the arms up to find a familiar face.

"Dr. Li?" I slurred, groggy eyes blurred again with each blink. I stopped moving, unwillingly, for only a moment long enough to take in the one true figure that stood in the room with me. The ghosts retreated. "Where are they? Where are we?"

She let go, seeing that I was no longer fighting off unseen monsters. "Who are _they_ , Paul?"

"What do you mean, who? Warren, Augustus, that fucking-" I stopped as a daze walloped me directly in the forehead.

"Easy," she instructed, tone-dead voice as exact as ever, "Please, there's no need to get worked up. It's clear that you still recall everything up to a certain point. Now, are you listening?"

I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed slow and deep, the dizzy spell passing as quickly as it set in. "Yes. I'm listening."

"Paul, I'm going to say this as plainly as I can," she spoke slow, careful to enunciate every word, "You've been in and out of a coma. Do you understand?"

I measured the beats of my slowing heart. "Yes," I slurred, "But where are we?"

Dr. Li recoiled, a careful scowl boiling up under her façade of detachment. "We're safe," she deadpanned.

I grunted, dissatisfied. "Where are we?" I asked again, voice crackling under the weight of the air, "Where are they? Where's Dad?" I asked again, still resistant to the truth I knew all too well.

She sat silently and shook her head.

I shut my eyes hard and tried to block out the deafening silence assaulting my ears. It had to be a nightmare. We had come so far. We couldn't be torn apart that easily. "Where. Is. He?"

"Paul. You and I are the only ones that made it out," she whispered, "No one else survived."

I gritted my teeth and spat a curse. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't find the strength to do so. My arms began to shake as waves of grief sank deep to my bones and into every cell. Reality was finally eating away at the last vestiges of childhood innocence with razor teeth that left nothing but tatters, that left _me_ in nothing but tatters. A part of me still expected him to walk through the door, worry commanding his actions, and to say one last time that it would all be okay. "Where is he?" I asked again.

"Paul, please."

"Where the hell is he?" I croaked, "Please. He's all I have left." I tried to move my legs, but they were wrapped in a cast and held down. I tried to lift my arms, but everything was being held to that damn uncomfortable bed. Nothing moved, and when it did, it ached like it was being set on fire all over again as it was in Germantown. "Please, God, no. Please, not now." I screamed, coals burning in my throat. My chest felt like it was being crushed in a vice. "Why? Why?"

Dr. Li stood up and brushed off her coat. Her hands reached for a tray from which she lifted a needle. I felt the prick in my arm, moments later I felt my heart begin to slow. She offered me an apologetic glance and walked towards the door. She hesitated to open it as if she felt some sort of betrayal in doing so.

"Calm, boy, calm," said the old man that strolled in through the open door. The top of his head was bald, spotted from the sun. Whatever hair he lacked on his head retreated down to his chin to lengthen the beard that reached down to his chest. He shot a glance using his tired, greyed eyes over to Dr. Li, who damned him with her own and shut the door behind her on the way out. "You aren't in any danger now," he continued. The old man coughed into his fist twice then took a rattling breath. He sat down on the edge of my bed, slow as his bones creaked, and hunched over. Hands clasped together, fingers wrestling one another, he dragged out the silence he demanded with his presence.

"Where am I?" I asked the elder man, hoping to get an answer at last.

A smile moved the valleys of his wrinkled face. "How direct of you," he commented, "That sounds in line with everything I've heard so far." The old man began to cough again, but less violently than before. He sat up straight, likely an effort to stave off the fits. "I suppose that's a good thing, but there will be time for questions later. Right now, perhaps you would humor this old man while he tells a story."

"I don't want a story," I spat.

He chuckled to himself, whether out of pity or amusement I'll never know. "I've seen young men like you before, one particular boy comes to mind. It was about twenty years ago when I found him, covered in grime and hiding in a dumpster in a place called The Pitt. I don't know how long he'd been in there when I found him. Days, maybe? I remember when I opened the lid, he jumped out at me, screaming and swinging that pitiful, rusty knife he had," he rambled as if fond of the sight. "I was impressed, to say the least. To do something so brash meant that e had more moxie than half the men under my command, which is something awe-inspiring when several had marched from the West with me in the wake of all that horror." The old man looked over his shoulder at me, clearly expecting a vivid response.

He didn't receive one.

He continued. "In any case, I had to make a decision. Ordinarily, I would've had to kill that child. It was a nasty part of my mission, easily the worst part of it, and yet I couldn't pull the trigger. Something in that boy's eyes was different. He had so much fire in him, such a will. So, I spared him."

"Do you want a medal? He was just a kid."

He shook his head. "No. Not at all. No one deserves anything for making the humane choice. It's the only one that is acceptable. Anything less would make us animals. Besides, I've already received my reward for that choice. He's an irreplaceable asset to me now and one of the best soldiers I've ever had. And today, I'm faced with another choice that's nearly the same. Now, I'm an old man, Paul. My eyes aren't what they used to be, cataracts being as they are, but even I can see that you have that same fire in you as well. I heard it, too, every time you flat lined and came right back. Not only that, but I can see you are indebted to me."

I laughed hollow. My chest ached. "How do you figure that?"

"Like this. I am the one that sent the Lyons Pride to save you. Because of me, you're still breathing. You would've died down there with Madison if I hadn't given the order, and you may as well consider yourself dead when the Enclave finds out that you aren't. I hold the power to pull the trigger at any time, figuratively speaking. Just as I did with that boy."

"That how you get off? Lording over people who can't fight back? Give me a little while to get back on my feet and I'll kick your ass, too."

"I'd urge you to reconsider, young man. On the other side of that door," he gestured, "Are two soldiers in T-45 model power armor, armed with AER9s. Even if you were capable of inflicting harm on me, you'd be turned to ashes within seconds of leaving this room, likely before. And I know that they won't have an unexpected urge of mercy as I did. Do I make myself clear?" He looked back at me again, false friendliness on his face. He had a gentle smile and deep, kindly, old eyes while he threatened me. "Now, as I was saying. Your life is in my hands. I've spent a considerable amount of resources keeping you breathing, and I believe you owe me for that. I'd like to make you an offer. It's a simple arrangement. You will follow my orders until I release you from your duty. Does that sound fair?"

"And who exactly are you to order me around?"

The old man raised to his feet and faced me. "Elder Owyn Lyons of the Brotherhood of Steel. I'm sure you've heard of me by now."

My heart rate spiked for a moment, causing an uptick in beeps. No point in lying. "Yeah. I have. I've also heard you're barely more than an opportunist."

Owyn didn't break his composure. "How crass. No, I am not an opportunist by any means. Only a man who knows when he stands to gain something from a mutual understanding."

"What about me? Do I stand to gain something?"

"Your life isn't enough?" he joked, "Of course, you do. I wouldn't make this deal if only I would benefit from it. You want to have a second chance at the Enclave, do you not? I can give you the means to accomplish that and survive the endeavor. I can give you the ability and every chance you could ever want to strike back at them."

I raised my hand, arm quivering. I curled each finger inward until I made a fist and clenched it tight. "This sounds like a bad idea, Owyn. I don't like it. But, I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"No. You don't."

"Fine, old bastard. Then you know my answer."

"Old bastard," he repeated humorously. Owyn clasped his hands behind his back. "Full of surprises, aren't we? And here I believed you were as foolish as your father."

I glared at him.

"A good choice, Paul. When you've recovered, report to Paladin Gunny in the bailey where you will join the Initiates for training. Once that's completed, we'll speak again about the specifics of your duties. I wish you well," he said with pride in his newly struck deal. The door opened and Dr. Li reentered, scowl unmoved while Elder Lyons strolled by with a spring in his step.

"Chin up, Madison. He's a smart young man. Oh, allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Citadel, Paul," he expressed.

Dr. Li sat down where he had moments before, bitter and remorseful. Her hands fidgeted until her palms that once were laying flat were pressed against her face, followed by a long, defeated sigh. She didn't move again for a long while.

And seeing that, it became abundantly clear to my drugged self that I just sold my soul to the devil.


	32. Rumblings

Chapter Thirty-Two

Rumblings

 _~ ? ~_

Now comes the part where I tell you that I was on my feet once again within moments. Unfazed by my harrowing ordeal, I raised from the grave, grabbed my guns and went to war without another thought, leading a one-man army against each person who ever wronged me. I poured out my righteous anger on them and made them regret their errors before snuffing the life from their eyes. When all was said and done, I went down in history as a hero for the masses. A beacon of how one can truly begin again in the face of loss, no matter the odds. A truly exemplary warrior of legend.

Now for what really happened.

I didn't.

I was broken.

I lay in that damn bed for a long time. I didn't get up, not that it was an option, and I couldn't even listen to anything on GNR for the first three days. I knew the moment I woke up that that familiar weight on my wrist was gone from the chilly air against my skin. Another casualty of Warren's attack was my Pip-Boy. Yes, it was a machine, nothing more than a tool, but it held sentimental value above any utility to me. Now, my habit of peeking at its green lined screen only gave me a glimpse of the awful tan-lines that had come about from its presence. When they did bring it back, it was fixed but I didn't have any interest in hearing anything anymore. All I wanted to do was stop the world from moving. It was nothing but a losing battle. Day in and day out. Over and over.

Rinse and repeat.

Rinse and repeat.

Rinse. And. Repeat. Until. It. Drove. Me. Mad.

Compound that with the helplessness and you have a recipe for hate. A deceptive thing, as I've learned. It slithers in, wraps itself around your throat, then whispers vile things in your ear as it chokes you into submission. All while you think that nothing has changed. But _you've_ changed. And it's hard to come back. It takes so long to find the roots and they've usually tunneled so deep that you can't pull it out without taking a piece of yourself with it.

However, I am, once again, getting ahead of myself.

It must've been at the beginning of October when I took my first steps again, the month the Old World came to an end. I don't know whether to say I was excited or nervous for the entire morning. I was nauseous, at the very least, but any other details weren't discernible to me. Dr. Li said that I needed to mentally prepare myself before she arrived, which didn't require any argument from me.

Standing up again was an equally torturous and uplifting experience that I hadn't imagined before. The searing pain in my muscles was nearly welcoming, like a stern reminder that the way up is before me.

"Okay, that was good. Slow, but good. How's your balance?" Dr. Li asked, eyes scrutinizing my every movement. She clicked her pen like her life depended on it.

"I haven't been drunk before, but it can't be too much different." I swayed back and forth despite bracing myself on parallel bars.

"It takes time. If you aren't feeling up to it, we can try again…"

I placed one foot firmly ahead. Awkward and stilted, but I managed.

She stopped clicking her pen. "Or we can do this today. That's fine as well. I will advise that you don't push yourself too hard, or you'll only end up hurting yourself again, even with the mutations making you more resilient."

"I hear you," I grumbled. My next step seemed to be of a different breed than the first, unfamiliar. Slow, plodding steps, five in all, led me to the middle of the room and exhausted me fully. I would've tried more, but fortunately, Dr. Li was there to stop me from being hardheaded as usual. She guided me back to a wheelchair and sat down across from me.

"A good start, today. But you've still got a long way to go before you're ready for training. I hope for your sake Owyn isn't in any hurry to put you to use," she said. I could see her face harden during that last remark.

"Look, I didn't have any choice. And from what you told me, it doesn't sound like he gave you much of one, either."

Dr. Li began clicking her pen again. "He never does. Did I not make that clear before?"

"Then why are you acting like I did something stupid?"

"Drop it," she said.

"Fine, but you acting like this is like the pot calling the kettle black, isn't it?"

"I agreed to work for that buffoon so they would allow me to keep you alive, Paul. Otherwise, I would have told Owyn to fu…I mean…"

"To fuck off, you mean. I'm not a kid, Dr. Li."

"Whatever you say."

I brushed off that remark. "What do they even have you working on, anyway?" I asked, noting the ever-growing bags under her eyes.

She grew noticeably uncomfortable at that. "The reason they didn't come back and take the purifier after the mutants ran us out years ago."

"Which is?"

"Liberty Prime. A nice name for a military super-weapon General Atomics and RobCo devised before the War. Problem is, the damn thing drinks more power in thirty minutes than all of Rivet City does in a day," she scoffed, "Apparently it was never deployed because of that. Just another tool for Lyons to lord over people with, I'm sure."

"Another mind to put to work-"

"Another way to drag me back under their thumb is what it is. I knew that he wanted me to work under him years ago, but the situation was different then. I had a few cards of my own. One of those was the power to ruin his reputation before he even started building one."

"And you think that's why he didn't come take the purifier by force. His reputation was on the line."

"Did he _directly_ take it away from us? No." Dr. Li flipped to another page on her clipboard and scribbled a note in the bottom-left corner. "But I've always been suspicious. I think the direct route was too obvious, so he settled for the indirect route."

"Dad said it was Super Mutants." I stretched one leg out and held it until the aching subsided. "Was that true or was it another lie?"

"No, that part was true. However, the way those mutants behaved, the way they marched up on us has always struck me as strange."

"What about it was strange?"

"They asked too many questions about things that don't concern them." Dr. Li glowered from behind her glasses, her eyebrows were lowered and lips drawn.

I crossed my arms. "Why do you do this?"

"Do what, Paul?" she growled. The pen began to click again.

"You act friendly for a while when we talk then snap back to being a bitch when I get curious."

Dr. Li stood up and circled around me. She began to push me out of the room and I could almost feel the heat radiating from her. "Because I've lost everything all over again. Just when I was feeling like I could get closure, when I could finally move on and finish what we started, everything was taken from me yet again. I don't even have the right to come and go as I please anymore. Lyons says it's all for my safety, why he keeps me locked up in here and working around the clock, but I know it's because he doesn't want me to slip away for a second time. He can't take that chance, not when he's so close."

"I thought-"

"Not only that, but everyone that I've worked arm-in-arm with for the past fifteen years is gone."

"Look, Dr. Li, I didn't-"

"Garza, Janice, Anna, Daniel, all of them are dead and I wasn't even able to see a single body. I spent the first week in here rationalizing to myself that they might still be alive somehow, that maybe they got out before the Enclave locked down the whole building," Her hands tightened around the handles as she spoke, "But I finally decided to stop being so utterly...stupid. They're all dead. Dead and gone. And all of this is because I allowed James back into my life again. I could've turned him away, but, of course, I caved because of that moronic grin on his face."

"I'm sorry. I didn't-"

"So, if you want to know why I'm a, in quotes, bitch, then you can start by asking yourself whose fault it was that you were run out of the Vault in the first place." Dr. Li wheeled me into the mess hall and turned on her heels without a moment to spare. "I think we'll both be able to trace our problems to the same name."

* * *

~ November 3, 2277 ~

Mostly, my days were spent in some fashion of that routine. I would go through increasing amounts of physical therapy, each day getting a little bit easier due to a sparing use of stimpaks, then I would speak with Dr. Li and try not to be a big dumbass. It was an enlightening experience, to say the least, and an equally prickly one. When that wasn't an option, I would read whatever material the Brotherhood had in the Citadel. Military training manuals and dull magazines, predominately. I wished I still had my comics, but my bag had been left in the Jefferson and the new comic I had purchased was shredded and blood-stained beyond recognition. Still, learning tactics and techniques I would not have considered otherwise was an acceptable replacement.

Anything to bring me one step closer to quieting the hunger.

Soon enough, I regained my autonomy. I was permitted to walk the a portion of the halls and restrictively explore the place that was to be my new home for the next several months. It was gray and rigid, just as I expected it would be, but I spent many hours in the gym so it wasn't too bad. I had to become stronger, at least enough to make it through the training.

You can guess that my favorite part was beating the hell out of a sandbag. Every day, I could feel my fists growing harder, my punches becoming more direct and more forceful. Sometimes my knuckles cracked and bled, but it was all worth it to feel that burn again. I let all my anger flow free and it felt good to have an outlet. I had pent things up for too long. One day I wandered in, ready to start my daily beat-down of an inanimate object, but I was met with a different face.

A woman claimed the place I usually occupied, throwing punches with rhythm and precision, entirely unlike my onslaught. Blonde hair tied in a tight bun behind her head, she assaulted the bag in a trance, focused and intentional with every placement of her foot, every sway of her body.

She noticed me waiting for my turn and stopped. "Hey, were you looking to go a few rounds with Old Sandy here?" she asked, patting the bag firmly.

It took me a few moments, but I remembered her. "Sentinel Lyons," I said. Distinct memories of our first encounter flooded back. Prickling shards of the fractured asphalt in the plaza of GNR digging in my back weren't among my fondest of memories.

She paused, her arms set akimbo. "You do remember me? That's good. You look better than the last time I saw you. I didn't think you were going to make it out of that. How are you doing now?" she asked with a softer tone than I thought to befit of her.

"You said it yourself. I'm looking better."

"Fair enough," she agreed. Sarah looked at the sandbag, then back to me. A smile pushed her cheeks up. "Hey, I've got an idea. How about you and I spar for a while? It ought to be a good way to mix things up. I think Old Sandy has just about had enough of it." Sarah had that same expectation of a response her father had. At least her humor wasn't at my expense. "Come on, we'll do this in the bailey. It smells better out there."

I followed along, her words from our previous exchange sticking with me. Had I changed enough to earn her respect already? Was that why she was being friendlier or was it simply "off-duty" Sarah? Regardless, I hurried along, eager for a brawl.

We proceeded to a dirt circle in the bailey. The scent of gunpowder and explosives was a replacement for the musk of sweat, but only barely. Brotherhood Initiates jogged around the courtyard while others lined up to do pushups in front of the power armored drill instructor, Paladin Gunny. A radio sat on a table just outside the dirt circle while notes of "Ain't She Sweet" played along whenever firearms weren't being tested.

Sarah stood on one side of the circle, wrapping tape around her knuckles. She bit off the end and raised her fists. "Ready? Your hand isn't going to hold you back, is it?" she asked with a point to my left.

"It's just a scar, now. It won't bother me." I held mine up as well, mirroring her posture. I swung my arm, a simple test of the waters, you might say.

She palmed my arm out of the way. "Come on, kid. I'm not some gentle flower. Swing at me."

I threw another punch. She caught my arm and pushed me flat on the ground with one fluid motion.

"Hm, your form is a little off. Again. This time trying to hit me," she teased, bouncing from one foot to another and throwing a few jabs at the air. A few Initiates gathered around to watch our match, all smiling about a joke I wasn't part of.

I lobbed my fist towards her body. She sidestepped. I threw my elbow out behind me and followed it. A miss. Sarah slid around to my front again. She stomped my foot and rammed her shoulder into my chest. I stumbled back, arms raised in defense. One punch collided with my forearm and another, my stomach.

"You've gotta hit back, kid!" Sarah called out as she swept her leg at my feet.

I leaped up to find her fist already careening towards me when I landed.

A few enthused shouts and jeers came from the gathering Initiates, most betting that Sarah would have me in tears within a few more seconds.

They were wrong. I envisioned her as the sandbag and struck at her head. She leaned back. I stomped my foot and leaned into the punch. My hand connected with flesh for the first time.

Oohs and ahs followed.

"That's more like it! Show me that mutant strength," she said, excitement in her voice. Another flurry of strikes from her sent me back towards the edge of the dirt circle. I charged, wrapped my arms around her and slammed her on the ground. Sarah didn't pause for a moment. She guarded her face against my attacks.

She wrapped her limbs around me, and within another second I was on my back. Her knuckles found my jaw before I had time to protect myself. That would bruise nicely. I shoved her off me and rubbed my aching face. A couple of quick jabs from me. The first was blocked, second was dodged, but the third hit her right in the stomach.

"Come on, Half-and-Half!" a squeaky-voiced scribe called out as she passed, arms full of notes and books, "You've got this!"

"Hey, yeah!" an Initiate named Hugo responded, "Half-and-Half! Take her down!" he cheered while others joined in the chant.

Feeling proud, I swiped a few more times at her. She was off balance. One strike sloppily guarded. Another connected. A kick narrowly avoided. I could win it all. I could change the outcome of the fight.

We grappled, myself gaining the upper hand. The Sentinel pushed forward, wrapped her arms around me and planted me on the ground once again.

Sarah put her knee on my chest, fist raised and ready to finish me off. "Sorry, sweetheart. Maybe next time," she poked, then pushed off and stood up, fist to the sky, the clear victor of the fight. Sarah left the dirt arena, leaving me, another poor schmuck, to ponder the lesson he was taught.

"Aw, Half-and-Half!" another Initiate groaned, face in his hands, "You almost had her."

"Another bait and switch! Ha!"

"Did he really think he could win that?"

A round-faced man with his hair shaved down to his head marched up behind the group, a look of total astonishment on his face. "What in God's name do you think you're doing?" Gunny bellowed. A collective shiver rocked the onlookers. "Fine! You want something to gawk at? You can watch each other's candied asses while you circle the bailey! Move it, move it!" Gunny stomped along behind for several steps, bearing down on the slowest of the group until he was satisfied with the pace.

I collected myself and left the circle to find Sarah again. She didn't go far, only to the edge of the courtyard where she sat alone, laughing at the hapless men running circles for slacking off.

"You played me," I said.

"Oh? I did?" Sarah responded. She tossed an ice-cold water bottle to me and took a sip of her own. "What makes you say that?"

"You weren't off your game at all. You just wanted to lure me into a false sense of security."

"Father was right. You are pretty sharp."

"Not enough." I crinkled the plastic and untwisted the cap. "Because I still don't understand one thing. Why fight with me? I'm sure there's plenty of others around here that could be more of a challenge."

Then returned the no-nonsense Sarah I knew. "I wanted to check in on you. Back in Chevy Chase, you were a walking tragedy waiting to happen. Now, you're a little bit better, I'll admit, but I see you're a trouble magnet like no one I've ever known before. The only reason you're still alive is luck, but the thing about luck is that there are always days when it isn't with you, and you'll never know when they are until they happen."

"I've made my own luck and figured the rest out."

"You have, huh?" Sarah shot me a pitied glance. "Then that must be the problem. I can't imagine anyone else who'd be proud of making the luck you've had. Either way, I don't think you'll last long making any more of it."

"Then what should I do?" I crushed my bottle and tossed it towards a trash can. A miss.

"I know about the deal my father made with you."

The group of Initiates passed in front of us, heaving and gasping for air already. The look of misery on their red faces was just awful.

"I'm glad the both of you aren't part of a dysfunctional family, then," I said, sour.

"You'd be surprised how messy things can get, but our squabbles aren't important right now. I watched you the whole time you were fighting, and, to be frank, it's not good. Neglecting any of your stance issues, you telegraph every motion too much. Leave yourself wide open. If I were serious, I could've had you on the ground after that first punch you threw."

"Easy to call out my faults when you're," I tapped my chin, "What did Dr. Li say? The Darling Sentinel of the Brotherhood?"

"I'm not tearing into you to be mean. I want to help you," she admitted, "I'm going to be in the Citadel for a while and I figured you could use some pointers. Things Gunny won't teach you, and it ought to give you a leg up on the rest of the recruits. Sound like a good idea?"

I frowned and hunched over. "Is this another way for Owyn to keep tabs on me at all times?"

"It might be. Does it matter? He can find you anywhere you are, so having me teach you how to fight won't give him any more insight than he already has. Besides, I know you're itching to learn how to break some skulls, and you would be dumb to turn my offer down."

I pondered the offer for a stretch of time. Admittance that Owyn wanted eyes on me every second of the day was acceptable, but it wasn't comforting in any way. "Deal-making is a family trait with you two, isn't it?"

"And it's one that's gotten us to where we are. I'll see you out here tomorrow, same time."

* * *

~ November 11, 2277 ~

"Paul!" Dr. Li exclaimed, barely keeping herself upright as she dashed towards Sarah and me in the bailey one morning. She was disheveled, strands of hair loosened from their usual kempt, heart wildly thumping as she gasped for a deep breath. "You need to listen to this!"

I stopped my sparring with Sarah for a moment, finding the chilliness of a visibly distressed Dr. Li a fresh hell I didn't expect. "What's wrong?"

Dr. Li grabbed the radio on the table and began to twist knobs, ignoring my dumb question. Her hands were shaking while she spun the volume switch as high as it would go and slammed the radio back down.

I gave her another look, but all she did was maintain the same wide-eyed stare with her arms folded and one hand on her jaw. Static crackles burst from the tiny speaker as the signals combatted clouds to reach us.

"Ahem!" a voice began, then took a long, drawn breath. A rustle of some sort was heard behind his exhalation, almost akin to a squeal. "Citizens of the Capital Wasteland," a deep drawl spoke.

"That can't be…" I stammered, feeling my head spin as the voice continued.

"This is Colonel Augustus Autumn," the man I believed dead until that moment said as an introduction. Another breath. "In the past few weeks, many of you have no doubt been made aware of the Enclave's presence in the Wasteland. However, do not be alarmed. We have come in peace, and we mean you no harm."

"Load of horseshit!" I gritted my teeth and ran my hands over my head.

"Shush!"

"Recently, the Enclave has been working on a project in the Jefferson Memorial in the ruins of downtown D.C. This project I speak of should be of great importance to you all, as you will come to find out in the coming weeks. We have constructed a large water purifier unlike anything the Capital Wasteland has ever seen, and we are now pleased to announce it is fully operational." Autumn paused for half a minute. Shuffling flooded the airways. "This is the first step in the Enclave's program to revive the wasteland, to begin rebuilding into a society we can all be proud of. As such, one week from now, you will begin seeing Enclave personnel on their way with large storages of fresh, clean water for each major settlement, free of charge as an extension of goodwill. No longer will you worry about your stores. No longer will you have to ration your water supply and pray that God sends the rain so your children don't have to go to sleep thirsty. Rest easy, Wasteland, the Enclave is here to save you. This is Colonel Augustus Autumn, signing off."

"This message, repeats," said a robotic voiceover. Autumn began again.

Dr. Li switched off the radio, nodding her head, flabbergasted. Her eyes only seemed to grow wider when she realized she wasn't imagining it, that I, too, heard the same message.

I stood motionless, wordless, staring down the damned machine, wishing it would burst into flames. I could have screamed every curse word I knew and my blood would've still been white-hot. The hillbilly fuck was still breathing. How? I saw Dad shoot him in the chest. I watched him die. He was dead, so why was he still speaking? Why?

Sarah collected her belongings and left the dirt circle. Our training was cut short. "I must speak with my father, immediately. We'll pick this up tomorrow, Paul," she said and hurried off.

Dr. Li paced back and forth, still shaking her head. "He's taking everything. Everything I've worked for, he's taking it."

"It's time the old man and I had a talk," I growled. Bewildered footsteps became furious stomps into the Citadel where I intended to find Elder Lyons. Any Scribes or Initiates that were unfortunate enough to be in my warpath were immediately shoved out of it, earning little more than a threatening glare if they spoke up.

"You can't go in there right now," A Knight said, hand held out as I approached the meeting room.

"Fuck off!" I shouted at his face and reached for the door. I cracked it open when I felt arms wrap around me and slam me on the ground. "Owyn! Get out here!"

The door slowly creaked open and out stepped Head-Scribe Rothchild, disdainful gaze present as usual and receding hairline serving to make his head appear larger than it already was. "You may be our guest at this time, but you are not welcome to interrupt official meetings whenever the mood strikes you, Mr. Carver," he said, monotone yet haughty.

"Tell that old bastard we need to talk!" I bellowed while the Knight pushed his knee into my spine. Rothchild shook his head and began to close the door in my face.

"It's fine, Reginald," Owyn called from inside, "Let him come in. We do have something to speak about, I'm afraid."

The Knight lifted his knee and stepped back to allow me entrance. I pushed the Head-Scribe out of the way stormed over to Elder Lyons, all eyes of the other members of the meeting burning a hole in me for such disrespect. "He's going to use the purifier," I said.

"I know, Paul," Lyons said. His face didn't break the flatness of his expression.

"You know?" I folded my hands over my forehead. Words began to vacate my mind once again. "What the hell kind of response is that? What do you mean 'I know?'"

"I mean that I am aware of the Colonel's intentions. I heard the broadcast myself. We all did."

"Then why the hell are you all sitting around a table like it's fucking tea-time?"

"Watch your mouth," Star-Paladin Cross sternly warned by jabbing her finger at me from across the table, "You are in the presence of the best the Brotherhood of Steel has to offer, and I expect you to behave like it."

Elder Lyons leaned back in his chair and placed his elbows on the armrests, hands folded. "No, no. It's not an issue, Cross," he said, "Now, then. What exactly do you propose I do about this, Paul?"

"You could start by sending some people over there to kick their asses."

"Ah, that would be an acceptable response, wouldn't it? As you put it, 'kicking their asses?'"

"Yeah. It'd be fan-fucking-tastic."

Lyons chuckled softly. "As you wish, 'Commander.' I will unleash all that the Brotherhood of Steel has to offer on the Enclave. Worry not, because I will engage in a costly war that will likely cost many good men and women's lives to stop someone from distributing free, clean water to the dying citizens of the Capital Wasteland. Is that acceptable?"

A few others at the table stifled a laugh with hesitant smiles or a sip from their mugs.

"This isn't a joke, Owyn," I grumbled, my face growing red and hot. "How do you know he's not planning something?"

"I never said I did. It's very likely he has an ulterior motive, given the Enclave's past. You are right to question his sincerity considering his reasons for such an about-face are yet unclear. For now, though, you cannot reasonably expect me to wage a war against someone who is clearly not an aggressor."

"What do you-? How much does it take to make someone an aggressor in your eyes?"

"More than killing a handful of scientists and using a well-trained, well-armed force to distribute the product of said scientist's work more efficiently than they ever could, I'm afraid."

I balled my fists. If it weren't for the soldiers in every nook and cranny, I would've broken his nose. "What are you saying?"

Lyons crossed one leg over the other and pressed his fingers together. "I'm saying that I am not going to ruin my reputation nor the reputation of the Brotherhood of Steel by beginning a conflict with a non-hostile faction that could endanger countless lives because of your vendetta, my boy," he explained with his usual friendliness. He reached over to the mug sitting on the table and took a moment to stir the steaming coffee within. "It would be impossible to justify such a large-scale conflict to both my soldiers and to the civilians at this time. We'll have to wait and see how things develop, then act accordingly."

Silence ensued, enough so that the tiniest shift of the coffee in their porcelain mugs was deafening. All eyes remained locked on me, daring me to act, wishing for me to snap. Sarah sat across from me, shaking her head slowly, a warning that she, too, would act if I made the wrong move.

I swallowed the golf-ball-sized lump in my throat. "You're saying that you aren't going to do anything? Are you kidding me?"

Lyons offered a paltry nod, barely fit for a response. "I wouldn't joke about something this serious."

I opened my hands again to adopt a less hostile tone. "Then let me go," I said, "Send me out there, and I'll stop them."

The room erupted into a gloriously cacophonous, snorting laughter. Hands were slapped on the table and gasps for air between fits of the giggles followed the spiking hilarity.

"We've been over this no less than three times before, Paul," Owyn said. His teeth peeked out from his silver beard, smile wide. "I'm almost certain that the Colonel is waiting for you to turn up once again, and the moment he catches wind, there will be scores of Enforcers on your trail. He cannot afford someone who knows the truth ruining his chance at making peace. No, I'm not allowing you to leave here without properly preparing you first. It'd be a waste of my resources and your life. But, if it's any consolation, I'll send a directive for Three Dog to begin discrediting them as best he can, but as for leaving the Citadel, I'm sorry."

Thoroughly embarrassed and enraged, I threw my hands up in the air in surrender. I didn't want their propaganda machine spewing more meaningless words. I wanted action. I wanted blood. I stomped around the table, hurling curses under my breath at him, at all of them. "No. You aren't," I hissed and slammed the door behind me.

* * *

 **I didn't want to leave anyone hanging with that little bridge chapter before this since it was only a few couple thousand words, so this one was sitting in Doc Manager, ready to go. As you may be able to tell, (if not, then it will really hit next chapter) we're entering a little bit of a time skip. Hold on to your hats, things are about to change. Thanks for all the follows, favorites and reviews.  
**


	33. Prodigal

Chapter Thirty-Three

Prodigal

~ November 13, 2277 ~

I counted the pushups. One, two, ten, fifty, however many it was until my arms begged for me to stop, solely to keep my mind from reaching into the depths it wanted. Three faces brought fire to my waking moments, and one haunted my nightmares with his cold, grey eyes before it all became a void again. Before the ice enclosed me again. Fear was no stranger to me, not at that point, but the giant of the trio burned his face into my memory, and on my body. The scars on my body were there as evidence.

My arms began to shake, but not from exhaustion. I pushed the sour taste back down, skirting the edges of acknowledgment. Why allow something into your mind that would hold you back? Especially something such as _that_. A solution was already in place for it, so why allow it a foothold? Two bargains were made, an action I one day would find out is a key no one needs to hold. A key to what? _The_ cage, of course. His cage. My cage. It doesn't matter. They're the same anyway.

Frost was on my breath. I curled up and shuddered as the heat on my skin vanished. The cold, grey eyes. They made my spine a pillar of ice. I needed some fresh air.

* * *

~ November 20, 2277 ~

Paladin Gunny marched along in front of us, fists balled and twitching, face dead-set on being as solid as the walls of the Citadel. Every few moments, he would stop and cast a glare on one of the Initiates then close in like a hawk on its prey. His eyes traced every detail of whoever's face he craned into. Some of his Initiates were better than others, but all were soft and lacked discipline in one way or another. Because of this, Gunny visibly recoiled, the taste of vomit in the back of his throat every time he found something particularly disappointing about the Initiate.

Translation; he was perpetually disappointed.

Then, there was the elephant in the room. He earned disapproving glances from numerous Initiates who had spent their lives living and breathing the religiosity of the Brotherhood of Steel due to his obliviousness to the sacred Codex. He was sloppy and uninterested in the orders being barked at him. He yawned openly because he would rather not be pushed into action any earlier than ten minutes 'till nine. His ears were filled with the shouts from Paladin Gunny, who had a profound distaste for the recruit, yet loved that he had found the whipping boy so early on. As always, the elephant would obey, just not with the respect and speed that was expected. This elephant was six feet, three inches tall and wore an expression that said it all; he was everything a member Brotherhood of Steel should _not_ be, physically, mentally, maybe even spiritually, and he knew it.

This elephant was, of course, me.

"Time for your morning chase, Caveman," Gunny bellowed while on the other end of the line, back turned to me. "Get going, and don't let it get away this time."

With an internal groan, I, once again, began to circle the bailey. I had not spoken a single word yet and he was already sure that I would mess up, thus meaning that I was the daily reminder that of what should befall the Initiates if they aren't quick enough. He wasn't wrong, but I felt a growing distaste for running in circles every day until I, as Gunny said on the first day, "caught my ass and shook hands with it." I had no idea what that meant then, and I'm no closer to understanding it now.

Another day of running was the only thing I had to look forward to. At least it was getting easier, and I wasn't firmly behind the Initiates when they inevitably joined me. As I rounded the bailey for the tenth time, I heard the stomping of Gunny rapidly approaching.

"Did you catch it yet?" he asked, condescending and voice lowered from a shout to a loud expulsion of words.

"No, Paladin!" I answered.

"Then why don't you turn around, like I said yesterday, and catch it so you can stop wasting everyone's time?" he bellowed. My cue to get back in line.

As I did, I noticed that the courtyard was quickly being filled with Scribes and Knights alike. None were particularly worried, but all were eager, which meant they didn't know why they were out there. A once sparsely populated bailey became full to bursting with everyone the Brotherhood of Steel held within the walls, yet with all the life, a foreboding silence fell over the crowd.

In the chaos, I slipped away from the Initiates and Gunny. I pushed through the crowd in a search for Dr. Li. "Is it someone's birthday?" I joked when I found her.

"No, but I think you're about to be surprised," she said.

All eyes were drawn to an upper walkway as one lone figure strolled out. Whispers fell as the crowd was graced with a rare sight for the Citadel. However, this man was familiar to me. He took his place against the wall, next to Sentinel Lyons, Star-Paladin Cross, and Head-Scribe Rothchild. A cursory glance could tell you that he was out of place among the crisp, stiff Citadel personnel. Even while stationary, Morgan Banks was on the lookout for trouble, eyes on everybody. Paranoia? Hardly. It was a habit of spending too long in the field and he couldn't will his killer instinct away.

"Oh, man, Banks is back," Initiate Maya, one of the only Initiates that didn't treat me like garbage, exclaimed. She, too, slipped away from the group in the hustle and bustle. "Something big must have happened for Elder Lyons to bring him home."

"I don't see any Super Mutants around here. Is there another reason why would he be here?" I asked, eyes peeled for Gunny whose anger would know no bounds if he found out so far from his presence.

Maya needed some popcorn for the spectacle. "I don't know, but he didn't earn the rank of Paladin by doing nothing! I bet he'd be Sentinel if it wasn't already taken. Elder Lyons is about to do something incredible," she said, eyes glittering with excitement.

"Blow steam up our ass, more like it," I laughed.

"Shush, here he comes!"

Total silence fell over the Citadel as Elder Lyons wandered onto the platform, eyes cast downward. A note card was held between his fingers which he handed to Rothchild and took his place at the microphone. He placed his hands on the podium and leaned over for a moment, sorrowful. "It is with a heavy heart, Brotherhood, that I come before you today." Elder Lyons appeared to be on the verge of tears. "Last night, at approximately 2200 hours, an assault was led on the trading hub, Canterbury Commons."

The air grew heavy. Goosebumps rippled across my skin.

"The numbers are still coming in, but what we do now is that many lives were lost, and many others were injured. I know many of you will be demanding answers while others will be demanding action first. Who could do something like this? What is the Brotherhood going to do in response?" Elder Lyons raised up, stern and serious in his expression of steel. "I can say that, from the information passed on by our scouts in the area, the perpetrators are none other than the Enclave."

The silence was maintained but it was the calm before the dam burst.

"First, the Brotherhood of Steel is going to provide aid to Canterbury Commons. We will be bringing necessary supplies to help the wounded, and repair the damage done. However, that will not the mark end of our involvement," he began, voice reaching a powerful crescendo, "I am prepared to announce that the Brotherhood of Steel has, as of 0900 hours today, formally declared war on the Enclave. Prepare yourselves, Brothers and Sisters, for the day of our destiny is upon us. We will root out these invaders, these villains, and make whole the Capital Wasteland. Hard days are ahead, but take heart, for it is not ourselves we fight for, but for the good of the fellow man. Dismissed," he said, leaving the podium without much fanfare.

An earth-moving cry filled the air. Finally. He wasn't going to sit on his ass all day. He was going to respond with action as I wanted, and once my training was done, I could be part of it.

Dr. Li shook her head, resenting every word she heard.

"Aren't you happy? They won't get away with what they did to us!" I said in disbelief.

Her face sank. "No, I'm not happy because I'm about to be dragged into a war that I don't want any part of. I don't want any revenge and I sure as hell don't want Lyons to have another method of making himself the hero. I want to live my life in peace." She pushed a rejoicing Initiate out of the way and disappeared into the bottom of the prison Lyons had made for her.

* * *

~ November 24, 2277 ~

"I've been thinking since the declaration the other day, and things aren't adding up," I stated between jabs at Sarah. My hand pressed into her glove with a quiet thump.

"Meaning?" she asked. Sarah pushed me back and chuckled at my loss of balance.

I threw up my guard and absorbed a few strikes. Retaliation was my answer to her attacks, which Sarah rejected. "If Autumn wants to make nice with everyone, why is he slaughtering innocent people in plain sight?" I stopped my punching for a moment. She landed a strike on my stomach since I lowered my guard.

"I've been asking the same question, actually. It does seem strange." Sarah kicked towards my knee, to which I turned and absorbed.

"It's more than strange. It's counter-intuitive. It's stupid! I met the man, and I know he isn't that dumb. He was aware of his appearance. He was calculating and if he wanted to put on a persona while he did something horrible we wouldn't know he was faking it until it was too late."

"Then it was only matter of time before the other shoe dropped. This isn't the Brotherhood's first tangle with the Enclave, so trust me when I say this sounds like something they would've done years ago."

"Maybe, but why waste all that time pretending to be better only to throw it all away? Who in their right mind would give an order that would directly contradict what they're trying to accomplish?" I left the dirt circle, a sign that we needed to pause our sparring.

"Are you forgetting about the other man on the radio? Their President, Eden?"

"No, I haven't forgotten. I wish I could because he's the piece that makes this even more complicated. The thing is, Autumn said some things before he killed my father that line up with what said on his broadcast and what Eden's been preaching on the Enclave Radio for a while now. They want to swoop in and save the Wasteland, rebuild or something along those lines. Bullshit, I'm sure, but let's entertain that notion as if it were true. How does wiping out a trading hub fit? Trade is good for civilization. In fact, they would need a place like that if they wanted to have even a snowball's chance in hell at starting one. Not to mention that killing civilians would turn the rest on you."

She glanced at a pair of Knights who were shirking their duty, face sharp. Back in action were they in two seconds. "Are you trying to say there's some sort of internal strife?"

"There has to be. Not only that, but there's something else I overlooked that makes it even more likely," I stated, gears turning at full speed in my brain, "Autumn went through the trouble and rooted Dad out of the Vault so he could repair the purifier. Why? An organization as storied as they are without any scientists or mechanics capable of fixing the biggest water treatment plant in the Wasteland sounds highly unlikely." A chilly breeze that only I felt rushed by. "For one reason or another, they weren't on board with helping him."

Sarah stopped for a moment. "I know. That was something I mentioned to my father after we rescued you and Dr. Li. The Enclave in The West had access to technology even the Brotherhood didn't have and had people who knew how to use it, but we haven't seen any of them."

"Then where are they now? Dead and gone or in hiding? If they're dead, then every last one of them? And if they're in hiding, then where?"

Sarah pursed her lips. "The Elder has suspected that more escaped the Oil Rig than most believed. Now, from the sound of things, he may have been right."

"Then that would make the question even more important; who gave the order at Canterbury? Are there more lurking in the shadows? And if Eden isn't against Autumn, then who would deliberately throw a wrench in the works, knowing that would put an end to their endeavor before it started?"

Sarah crossed her arms, face inquiring. No-nonsense Sarah made her return and in full force. A tactical mind flared to life as the Sentinel began to formulate the same conclusion I leaned towards. "Maybe there's a third man? Someone we don't know about?"

"Maybe. Does it seem plausible or am I overthinking things? We don't have anything that supports my theory other than strange behavior from their side, but that doesn't change that I've got a nasty feeling about it."

"Yes, but you've made a good point. I'll raise this to my father later. There are more things to consider than he wants to admit, but perhaps he'll be more willing to listen to me now that you've picked up on it as well," she assured.

We sparred for a length of time, no words exchanged between us. Even without any verbal expressions, the lingering questions Sarah was left with weighed on her mind. Her jokes at my expense vanished, dried up like a riverbed in a drought, and for the first time, I saw a hint of fear in her. Although, she wasn't afraid because of the possibility that someone else was working behind the curtains. Confidence in the army behind her put that worry to rest before it became notable. She was afraid because she wasn't the only who noticed it and her bullheaded father still brushed her off.

The atmosphere inside the Citadel shifted drastically after the declaration. It was strict, but with a tinge of laziness that prevented the whole place from feeling as restrictive as a roller coaster that went on a flat plane.

That changed rather unforgivingly. Gone were my days of goofing around and cracking wise at the hardened Knights when I got bored. Hello to the ear-blistering eviscerations of my pride from my superiors when I didn't stand at attention. But, being who I was, I still found time to disregard most of what they said. If Lyons hadn't kicked me out on my ass by then, it was likely he never would, and I only had more free-time when Sarah was sent out into the field in early January.

Training grew harder from there on out. Gunny had a new drive to train us and he went above and beyond what was asked of him. He took a handful of soft, wide-eyed Initiates and broke them down to their base components, then reassembled them into soldiers. The raggedy, young men and women he looked down the tip of his nose at on the first day fell away and gave rise to Brotherhood Aspirants he could be damn proud of.

Then there was me, the outsider. I was the one that was always firmly behind every Initiate in the beginning. I was the lesser in every way imaginable. But it wouldn't stay that way. Gunny had it out for me, but his harshness only served to prepare me better. He counted on it, even. I grew stronger, faster, and unfortunately angrier as the outside world begged me to cartwheel back into the line of fire once again. I ached for my chance to take the fight to the Enclave, to make them realize they pissed off the wrong person, messed with the wrong family. Every time I had a moment to rest, my blood would only burn again when I saw their three faces on the backs of my eyelids. Every night, every morning, every waking moment. Perhaps that was what set me apart from the others. They, despite being well-intentioned, had no personal stake in the matter. That was the only stake I had in it.

For the first month of training, I was behind the rest. The second, I closed the gap between us. On the third, I surpassed them. The last widened the gap between us. But through it all, I was sorely unaware that I was becoming exactly what Lyons wanted.

A rabid dog he could let out its cage when it was starved and only wild instinct remained.

* * *

~ March 10, 2278 ~

"Only a few days left, huh?" Dr. Li noted as she adjusted a few components of the cylindrical object laid out before her. She sighed. "Where does the time go?"

I tilted the cylinder to let her peek under it. The pen in her hand wiggled as she jotted down a few quick notes. "I'm sorry. I know I haven't been to talk with you in a while," I said.

"Since December, to be exact. And don't be. I've been too busy to talk anyway," she downplayed. A scribe rushed over, head lowered and placed a note on Dr. Li's desk. She read it and nodded. "Getting this oversized Protectron up and moving has been enough to keep my mind occupied." She gestured to the colossus, Liberty Prime, looming over us, metal eyes high enough to look like a god peering down from above. Dr. Li typed away on the keyboard of her terminal, and the super-weapon turned his head with a squeak and groan.

"VOICE FUNCTION ONLINE. DESIGNATION: LIBERTY PRIME. MISSION: THE LIBERATION OF ANCHORAGE, ALASKA," Prime bellowed, shaking the room with voice alone. Scribes focused on their work were startled. He shut off seconds later when the plug was pulled. Dr. Li smirked pridefully at her success.

"Poor guy. I don't think Anchorage needs any liberation anymore unless we're going to stick him in the pods, too. At least you can wake him up. Lyons must be giddy."

"He pops in every day like it's damn near Christmas morning."

"Ah…that passed already."

"You forgot?"

"I think it may have been the day Gunny had me fetching rocks in freezing temperatures and hauling them around in a big sack to give to some poor, nameless orphans. Never delivered the gifts, though."

Dr. Li fought back a stiff grin. "I forgot about it, too. I had some decorations set up, but I started working on the weapon diagnostics system one day then looked at the calendar when I was finished and saw it was New Year's Eve. I know I slept sometime, but I don't know when." Her humor disappeared a moment later. "Owyn is probably happy about that, though. He wants Prime fully operational ASAP."

"I can imagine it's because he doesn't want to drag this war out any longer. It's been fewer guns and less glory than I thought it'd be, but it's just a powder keg waiting to ignite."

"And you're looking at the match. The moment Prime is ready for combat, it will get very bloody, very quickly."

"That's what I'm hoping for," I said. The tone of my voice did very little to hide my excitement.

"You are?" she asked. A huff akin to the defeated sigh she gave when I agreed to Owyn's terms for saving my life punctuated that thought. "I thought that you'd simmer down by now, let things go, and try to think rationally about what you really want. I guess not."

"Have you moved on already? Aren't you still angry about everything that's happened to us?"

Dr. Li set her clipboard down and turned to face me. "Paul, listen to me. I won't ever be able to move on, but that hasn't stopped me from trying to make my peace. This isn't what I wanted my life to be like right now. I'd much rather be back in Rivet City with my team, going about our mundane duties to keep the old boat from sinking, even with all the headache that came with it. But this," she pointed again to Liberty Prime, a weapon of unwarranted proportions, "Is what I'm faced with, and I have to accept that. I still don't want to be part of whatever holy war Owyn's trying to paint this as and I still don't trust or even remotely like him or the Brotherhood. He's playing the long-term game like he always does and I've lost sleep over what he's up to, but I don't have a choice. Whatever lives are lost because of this are in my hands. That much I'll have to answer for."

"You could've turned him down. You could've told him he can find someone else to fix his giant toy."

"No, I couldn't," she retorted, "That would've meant that Lyons letting you die. I wouldn't be able to do that in good conscience and I know James wouldn't want something like that."

I frowned. Dad's name festered emotions I wanted to drive into a dark corner of my mind and forget about. "Why bring him up? He isn't here anymore."

"Look at me, Paul," she ordered, "He isn't here, but he made me swear the night before Autumn killed him that if anything were to happen to him that I would keep you safe, no matter what. I was not then, and I am not now going to break that promise."

"I'm not a child that needs someone to hold my hand to keep me from wandering into trouble. Besides, he's the reason for every instance of me being in danger."

"I won't argue that. You're more than capable of defending yourself now. In a few days, you'll have the rank to prove it. But he wasn't only worried about your ability to stay safe, he was worried about what was going on in your head." Dr. Li reached out and placed a hand on my shoulder, a compassionate gesture that would've stopped many in their tracks had they been paying attention. "He was scared, Paul, of who you were becoming. He said you didn't seem like yourself anymore when you showed up on the deck that day. I didn't understand that feeling then, but now, I see what he meant."

I avoided her gaze as if I were a vampire avoiding the dawn's light.

"You've changed since we were brought here. It's like someone else has taken the wheel. If there's something wrong, Paul, I want you to tell me. We're the outsiders here, so we need to stick together as long as we can. Trying to bottle things up will only give them a way into your head, understand?"

I put on a fake smile, crooked and forced. "It's fine. Nothing's wrong. I just have a lot of stress on me. In three days, I'll be sent back into the world, and it almost feels like being kicked out of the Vault all over again. I'm nervous if I'm being honest. I can't go back out there with the same naïve eyes I had before, and that scares me." I smirked in a pitiful attempt to throw her off my trail. "It feels weird to acknowledge something like that without Gunny leaping through a window or crawling out from under my feet and screaming his head off. Anyway, I've got to get back to the simulations. I'll see you at the ceremony?"

"If Owyn lets me take a break, sure," she said. Dr. Li turned her attention back to her work and I tried to hurry back to the bailey. The air in the laboratory had become suffocating. "And Paul?" she called out.

"Yes?" I stopped and looked down the stairs at her.

"Think about what I said. You're much too young to decide you want to spend the rest of your life angry and bitter," she stated without looking in my direction. Dr. Li turned to help a Scribe struggling to carry a stack of crates and scolded them for nearly dropping them.

I didn't have any way to respond to that, so I left without another word.

There was no fooling Dr. Li, not at all. She was too smart, too perceptive to fall for my sorry excuses and fake cheer, but something lingered with me; that expression she had. It made something inside of me hurt, and I didn't know why. It was a familiar hurt. Was she worried or disappointed?

* * *

~ March 15, 2278 ~

The warming sun of early spring shined bright on the stones of the Citadel courtyard. Most of the Brotherhood of Steel was gathered for the ceremony, taking their seats and chattering about their fond memories of graduation. Jovial, proud, yet official mannerisms replaced the day-to-day dutiful tedium in sharp contrast. Any high-ranking personnel left in the Citadel were in attendance as well, preparing themselves for the event of a long-winded speech from Rothchild. Before all gathered stood the reserved, soon-to-be Aspirants in their crisp uniforms, arms folded behind their backs. Among them, I stood as well, waiting for the ceremony to get underway.

Soon enough, the ceremony began with a salute to Elder Lyons as he made his presence known. He took his place as Rothchild came to the podium to speak.

"Today," he began with a serene grin as he peered over the crowd, "Is a momentous day. For the past several months, these Initiates have learned what it means to live and breathe for the Brotherhood of Steel, and it is my great pleasure to stand before you for this event. It does an aging man's heart good to see so many young, passionate men and women enter into service for the good of humanity."

 _"Oh, boy. Here we go,"_ I thought. It was going to be a long day. The sun fell from its pinnacle and began the descent to nightfall and Rothchild still continued to speak. At times, the eyelids of Aspirants began to droop while others stared blankly. And every time Rothchild appeared to be nearing the end of his speech, he would take a swig from his water-bottle and start off on another tangent.

"And now, I am proud to look at your faces and call you, with the utmost sincerity and pride, Brothers and Sisters," Rothchild concluded and finally left the podium.

As Elder Lyons took his place next, I swear he was fending off a bout of sleepiness. "We will begin presenting names and ribbons," he stated simply and approached the first of the new Aspirants. He pinned a ribbon on them and their name was called out. Same for the next, and the next, until my turn was up.

If it wasn't for the heat from earlier that day, sweat droplets brought out by anxiety would have been forming fresh. I was next. Elder Lyons reached for another ribbon, the shining testament to all that I endured reaching that point. Joy puffed up my chest as I waited for him to pin the ribbon on me. I was about to become something. Hell, I was already something, and I was about to be recognized for it!

Elder Lyons pinned the ribbon on the Aspirant next to me.

He's an old man, they can forget things. It's fine. He'll come back to me and realize the mistake. I'm part of the group as well.

Elder Lyons moved to the next person. No voice objected. My posture began to unravel. What the hell was going on? Was I invisible?

Owyn continued his process until all Aspirants had ribbons. Except for me. After all personnel congratulated the newly christened members, the ceremony was closed with a shout of allegiance. I marched along with the others, but I did so with my head hung low, not held high like them.

I sat on a bench in the corridors, hunched over for a length of time while the Citadel resumed it's operations as if nothing out of place happened. Rage, embarrassment and disappointment waged a three way war in my head then formed an alliance to batter me further while I tried to decide what to do next. Perhaps I would be brought before everyone once again and congratulated, the situation remedied as explicitly as possible to clear up any confusion. More time passed, during which I could feel the awkward glances from any passing members, none of which arrived to tell me it was all one colossal mix-up. I contemplated going back to my bunk and sleeping it off.

Then it dawned on me. There was no mix-up. I left the bench and went to demand an answer.

"Elder Lyons has been expecting you, Mr. Carver," Artemis said as I approached Owyn's office. He held the door open for me and didn't put up a fight like he did when I barged into a meeting before.

"He'd damn well better be," I growled. I brushed by Artemis. "Lyons, what the hell was that all about?"

Morgan Banks leaned against the wall, outside of his power armor for the first time I knew of. "Afternoon, Freak. Did you enjoy Rothchild's speech?"

I stood up close to his face and stared him down. "Shut it before I show you what a few months of training can make."

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. Now is not the time for posturing." Owyn sat calm and reclined in his chair. He closed the folder he had betwixt his thumb and index and placed it in his lap. "I was wondering how long I'd have peace and quiet before you came barging in here, Paul. Again."

"You'd have more if you didn't just snub me from the list," I said. I planted my hands on his desk and looked down the edge of my nose at him. "Why did you skip over me?"

Lyons leaned forward, elbows set on the table and hands folded. "A multitude of reasons, but I'll name the highest among them."

"My ears are fucking open."

He exhaled long. "Besides the fact that you don't even know the first sentence in the Codex, the first requirement to be considered as even a lowly Initiate, the Brotherhood of Steel does not allow mutants of any kind to officially join our ranks."

"You could have told me that months ago."

He raised an eyebrow. "Would you have trained differently with that information? I was not willing to take that risk."

"What risk was there to take? You made me look like an ass in front of the whole damn Citadel!"

"At least it provided some entertainment," Banks interjected.

Owyn's expression changed and he uncovered his face. "You needn't worry about that. If anyone begins spreading rumors then I'll personally end them, you have my word. But to answer your question, I didn't tell you any of this because I had something different in mind for you, my boy, and I needed to make sure you were capable of it. You remember the VR combat simulations set up in the A Ring, correct?"

"The ones set in Anchorage? Of course, I remember. I've been in and out of those things all day, every day since late December. What about them?" I said.

"Morgan and I have personally reviewed every one of your attempts and together, we realized something. You would be better placed somewhere other than under the command of a Knight and sent on patrol. It'd be a profound waste to do that."

"Gee, how nice. But for some reason, I'm not patient enough to listen to another two hour speech today. Can you get to the point?"

"As you wish. What both of us want is someone who can work outside the Brotherhood of Steel's guidelines. No regulations, no protocol, simply completing the missions passed down from a single officer that answers only to me," he narrowed his eyes, "However that takes shape. Simply put; you. Giving you an official ranking like Initiate, Aspirant or even Knight would make that impossible. Promoting you straight to Paladin and allowing you to move freely would likely cause strife among our ranks, so that isn't an option either."

I stood straight and crossed my arms. "What I'm hearing is you want me to carry out black operations. Off the record work that no one else can do without risking their status."

"Again with the terminology, Paul."

"You'll be an _Operator_. Black operations can include war crimes. Honor is important to us, meaning that the Brotherhood of Steel does not condone such abhorrent behavior," Banks explained as if he were reading a script. Or rehearsed, at the least.

Owyn nodded in approval. "See? Morgan here understands what I mean. Black Ops sounds threatening, does it not? And you'd be acting alone, not in a team."

"I don't care about terminology, Owyn. Why me, anyway? You said it yourself, the rest of them know all the protocols and regulations. They live for the Brotherhood and they'd die for it when the time comes. Hence, they are better soldiers than I am."

"But ask yourself, what do they know about the Wasteland? How many have outside connections they can use? Out of all the Initiates you trained with, how many of them have been in anything remotely as serious as what you have found yourself in? None, that's the answer. They've all become good, upstanding Aspirants, but all were born inside these walls. Some have left, but at the end of the day, they've lived their lives, safe and secure, fed the reality that I want them to know. But you, my boy, you are a different story." Lyons stood up from his chair, spine crackling as he did and walked around the desk to my side.

"Do you think it was because I wanted to be in this mess?" I asked. Looking down at the old man, I watched as he did his best to appear friendly, as always. "I never wanted any of it, and I did what I had to do so I could live long enough to find my father. That was all that mattered."

"And that, Paul, is exactly what I wanted to hear," he said encouragingly, "You see, I worry that these new members would crack under the pressure if faced with everything you experienced. You were torn apart by the wastes and put back together again, and you never lost sight of your goal. I could take away their armor, their weapons, strip them naked in a blizzard, hand them a rock and point them at the enemy and they would hesitate. They may even flee. You wouldn't. You'd ask how I want the enemy dead, how soon, and you'd do it with a smile."

"And that is the kind of person you want? That doesn't match the narrative that you're trying to push. I thought the Brotherhood was defensive, not offensive."

"Absolutely that kind of person. Wars aren't won by simply holding the line, my boy," Owyn said. A sly grin spread across his face, ruffling his beard. "My predecessors back West found that out, and last I checked, they were being hunted down like animals. Wars are won with ruthlessness and cunning on the part of the victors." Elder Lyons looked back at Banks and nodded.

Morgan lifted the folder from Lyons' desk and pushed it towards me, icy glare ever-present. I opened it and thumbed through the two pages inside. A sparse amount of information was printed; a primary directive, a brief explanation of what can be done, which was short, and what can't be done, which was negligible. To sum up what it said would be to say that it was Elder Lyons stating that the Brotherhood of Steel would not be able to provide official support should I be caught acting in an unscrupulous manner. No help. No blame to be thrown back on them. At end of the second page were two code names.

"Prodigal, huh?" I asked by reading the name aloud, "Not Freak or Half-and-Half?"

Morgan shrugged and laughed. "It wasn't up to me. Count yourself lucky that Lyons liked that one so much."

"And I guess you'd be Man O' War?" I surmised, voice low so Artemis wouldn't hear us. I closed the folder and held it to my side.

"That'd be correct. Now, have you read everything in there? Memorized it completely?" Morgan pushed. He reached into his pocket and removed a lighter which he tossed to me. "Burn it."

"In here?" **  
**

"Don't let the fire spread. I turned the alarms off for this."

I held the lighter and folder in my hands, eyeing them both cautiously, those objects and the two men before me. The dark underbelly of the Brotherhood was apparent, and I was about to be part of it. I flicked the spark wheel and brought a flame to life.

Elder Lyons returned to his desk and waited patiently, notably pleased with himself. Morgan stood as immobile as an old oak, awaiting my next action.

The edges of the tan folder turned black as the smoke began to rise, the glowing heat enveloping my fingertips. I inhaled the scent, the smoke, the secrecy. It smelled awful. What they wanted was worse, but I had to do whatever it took. For me, not for them. I never cared about their creed. It rose higher, consuming the words they wanted no one to see and I dropped it to the stone floor below. When all that was left was glowing ashes and flickering ember, I was given the approving nods from the two.

I was, and was not, one of them.

* * *

 **And that's all for the time skip. Take it in, boys and girls, we've hit Part 2 in full stride, now.  
**

 **For those that may be wondering, I did push the sims from Operation: Anchorage into the Citadel and tweaked them a bit so the BOS has an effective way to train their soldiers with something akin to actual combat. Sounds effective to me, anyway. I thought that keeping us moving would be a little more interesting than me derailing the story any further to write about Paul's first experience with a souped-up HTC Vive.**

 **If you were really (and I mean REALLY) looking forward to Anchorage, then I apologize.  
**


	34. Reconnaissance and Reconnection

Chapter Thirty-Four

Reconnaissance and Reconnection

~ March 16, 2278 ~

The clock said it was still two hours to sunrise and yet I was already at the front gates. Deep, slow breaths and counting to ten more times than I should have were my sole attempts at trying to still my thumping heart. Morgan was not there yet as my mission briefing was not arranged for another fifteen minutes. However, I was too eager to sleep any longer and the seconds simply weren't counting down fast enough for me. Routine checking of my weapon had already been completed thrice despite being assured that they were almost as good as the day they came off the assembly line, meaning that I was out of things to occupy my mind.

At last, the doors opened and out strolled Morgan. The scowl he gained when he saw me as warning enough that he hated that part of the job. Talking to me, that is. "Already here, huh? Can't wait to get back to your own kind or do mutants have a fear of captivity?"

"Only when we're trapped with self-righteous assholes for several months. Can we get on with this?" I asked, sizing him up once again as he did to me, a tradition for us both to partake in, no matter the occasion.

He produced a holotape and held it out. "Everything is contained in this. Read it over, memorize it, and then…"

"Swallow it, throw it in a river, roast it over an open fire, I get it." I opened the tape player on the top of my Pip-Boy, inserted the holotape, and loaded the data. Lines of text greeted me, which I skimmed and understood as nothing more than a simple raid of the location described on the pixelated map at the bottom of the page. "I guess now is the time to say that I'm surprised? Why all the cloak and dagger when this isn't even mildly unethical?"

"You've gotta learn to walk before you can run, Fre-" he stopped, "Prodigal. Consider this another test, but one from me and not the Elder. If you successfully infiltrate the encampment then you may see something of a different breed next time."

"Is that all?"

"No, not quite," Morgan removed the bag hanging around his shoulder and tossed it to me. "A couple of toys for you to use."

I unzipped the bag and rummaged through the contents. Strange cylindrical objects twisted in cables looked up at me.

"If you recall, your secondary and long-term goal is to gather intel for the Brotherhood. The little tubes in there are beacons. Take the top off and press the button inside and we can track wherever you leave it. Anything you find that seems important; documents, tech, whatever, drop one and we'll send a team out to collect. And I swear to God if a team comes back and I find out you've fucked up and a scavver's got it, there'll be hell to pay. Understood?"

I threw the bag over my shoulder and gave it a pat. "Oh, the temptation to drop it in dog shit is just overwhelming. What about the cables?"

"The cables are a for a mic the Scribes cobbled together to work with your Pip-Boy. Hook them and the mic up to your Pip-Boy and tune to the frequency that Peabody added to the list and check in at least once every forty-eight hours or you'll be considered AWOL," Morgan explained. He waved to an unseen Knight to open the gate. "Got any questions?"

"Any advice you can give me before I head out?"

The enormous gateway behind me began to open, roaring and creaking as the metal was lifted by great cranes. "Try not to cause a stir everywhere you wander into. The clothes Durga gave you have a hood for a reason and the face-mask and goggles will obscure everything else." Banks lowered his tone and enunciated his words further. He wanted to be clear. "Don't take ant of it off for any reason unless you're in a secure location. Minimize your contact with civilians, especially those that would recognize you unless you can guarantee they won't blow your cover. Remember what Elder Lyons said…"

"I'm dead to the Enclave. That's a tactical advantage and one I want to keep," I acknowledged with a mockery of the old man's voice.

Morgan leaned his head back and laughed, something I didn't think he was capable of. Whether out of amusement from my impression or from surprise, I'll likely never know. "You're learning fast, Prodigal. One more thing." He motioned toward my wrist, "We've included a map of the metro tunnels and sewer systems beneath the city. I suggest you stick to them. You'll make better time traveling underground and you'll run into fewer roadblocks than you would on the surface."

I pulled up the diagram of snaking, fractured lines detailing the network of tunnels beneath D.C. I quickly looked for the Citadel's location among the sparse number of landmarks noted and found the nearest tunnel, then planned my route from there. Perhaps only a few hours and I'd be in the countryside again. Even better, I'd be passing close by Megaton on my way to the outpost. A pipe dream, but Josef and Ana could've still been there. Maybe if I had time, I could…

"Paul! Wait!" Dr. Li called out. She emerged from the Citadel doors and hurried over to us.

"You aren't supposed to be out here, Li," Morgan growled, cracking the official façade he put out with minimal effort. "Get back inside."

She slowed just enough to give Banks a potent "Madison Li" glare and disregarded his orders. Owyn was the only person she answered to. Dr. Li's scowl softened considerably when she turned to me. "Paul, I want you to stay safe okay?"

"I plan on it," I downplayed.

She shook her head and crossed her arms, stance solid and imposing. "I mean it. I don't want to hear about you making an enormous mess and acting like a fool. No heroics, no recklessness, no…"

"Being an idiot," I interrupted, "I'll try my damnedest."

"I'm serious, Paul. You'd better come back in one piece." Dr. Li pointed at her face with her index finger, instructing me that she was not finding my jokes humorous and that I should be obeying her. She looked over her glasses at me, unflinching in her sternness. "Understand?"

What did she care for, anyway? It was probably just another way for her to carry out the wishes of a dead man that wanted to fix his mistakes by being even more heavy-handed than before. Hell, I already made a bet that he would start another conflict in my life despite being in the grave. The man had a target on his back, which is apparently hereditary. Still, her worry caused me discomfort for one reason or another. "I understand. I'm sure Morgan can tell you if anything happens, right?"

A shit-grin split Morgan's face. "And I'll do it with a smile."

I opened myself up for that one. I wanted to open _him_ up for that, but the gentlemen above me and their weaponry would not be keen on that idea. "I'm off, then."

Under the gates, the last wall between me and the outside world, I passed. Darkness had not been replaced by the morning sun yet, but it was a kind of dark that reached further than I could see. It was present with arms wide open to pull me out of my prison. The wastes welcomed me into itself once again as if to ask, "where have you been all this time?" The stench of the smoldered ruins grew strong again, that thing close to burned toast, and I inhaled it readily. Was it comforting? Could a place that chewed me up and spit me out so unceremoniously really be that? The concrete and stone walkways became gravel and dirt and the unevenness of the earth controlled my pace.

How peculiar. Maybe it was. Maybe I had become accustomed to the surface world, and maybe I had become like the people there already.

But I had work to do and, without anyone to judge me, I had myself to lose.

* * *

Saying that the goggles Durga gave me were helpful because of their night-vision would be an understatement. It's just too bad they weren't capable of that, which meant I stumbled around in the dim metro tunnels and relied on the sparse rays of light that streamed in from collapsed sections. Fingers crossed, I pleaded that I would not find myself face-to-face with a ghoul that thought I was looking tasty that morning. Well, they usually think people are tasty at any time, come to think of it, but that's not important. With my shotgun pointed ahead and ears wide open, I advanced through the ruins until the clanking of metal reverberated to reach me.

Muddled voices laughed and conversed. I followed the sound with careful steps. It wasn't low and garbled, a common, tell-tale sign of mutant presence. That was good. There were two men, one older, one younger. One of them was drumming two metal pieces together in rhythm. The other told him to stop.

"Listen, Ted, I've told you before," older man began, voice barely above a whisper but enough to convey his irritation to Ted and to myself, "When we come down here, you need to be quiet. You don't know if someone's lurkin' around the corner and we need to hear 'em coming if they are."

I slithered up closer. They may have been friendly, but I had to be sure before I revealed myself. I crouched and leaned against the wall to listen. The flickering light from their setup poured around the corner.

"Yeah, but that'd be more loot for us, right?" Ted answered and continued to clang. "Y'see, I've got it all figured out. We lure someone here with a few sounds, then we help ourselves to anything they, er, _drop_." Ted laughed, "Then we can make a bunch of caps when we reach Rivet City!"

The older man made a noise. He was uncomfortable, to say the least. "We aren't crooks, anymore, Ted. We've gone straight, and you need to stop thinking like that."

"Hey, but I thought we were trying to start up our own gang," Ted stopped drumming and shifted his feet. "Aren't we?"

The older man grumbled again and moved about. "Alright, listen. I told you that so you'd come with me. It ain't no way to live, hurting and killing."

"You old fart." Ted moved to a different position, evident by the sound of him knocking several objects over in his wake. "Boss was right. You're gettin' all soft and mushy now that you're pushing forty. Shoulda just stayed with the boys."

"But you have a chance, now, son. You can make a living selling scrap and not be shot at whenever you get too close to town. Doesn't that sound better than hurting and killin'?" The older man stood up and began to pick up the scattered belongings. "Just gotta get that stupid-looking tattoo off your face, and you'll do just fine."

"It's fuckin' badass and you know it!"

I grew bored of listening and introduced myself to the conversation. "Wonderful weather, ain't it?" I appeared from the darkness, finger on the trigger.

Ted let out a cry and fell over backward to reach for a pistol lying on a shelf.

I shoved my shotgun in his direction. "Easy there, bucko. I'm not here to kill you but make a reach for that gun and you'll be sitting on a cloud before you know it. Nice tat, by the way."

Ted wasn't amused.

I turned to the other. "You, old man. Hand it over."

The older man held his arms up without hesitation, a pistol held by the barrel. He knew the drill and tossed his weapon over to me. "Listen, kid, I might not be a spring chicken, but I ain't looking to meet God today. Ted, try not to be a dumbass for a little while and come sit down."

"But he-"

"Now, Ted."

Ted stood up, hands held at strange angles to show that he wasn't meaning any harm and sat on the cinder blocks in front of the old man.

I lowered my gun but kept my finger on the trigger. "See, you play nice and I play nice."

"What do you want?" Ted balled his fists and avoided looking at me.

"None of the trash you're hauling around if that's what you're worried about. I just want some information."

"What would you like to know?" the older man asked. He shook his head at Ted.

"You can't be serious, Beat-Up!"

Beat-Up, the old man, shrank. "We ain't going by those names anymore. And yes, I'm serious."

I held out a scrap of paper and gave it to Beat-Up. "You've been around. Do any of these names sound familiar to you?"

Beat-Up squinted at the page and shook his head. "Sorry, kid, but I can't see a damn thing. Eyes have been going bad for years. Let Ted see it."

Ted jumped when I turned to him. He reached out and took the paper with shaking hands, then skimmed it. "Uh, yeah. The top one does. Augustus Autumn. He's that Enclave guy that's at the big water thing at the Jefferson. The one that sent his men to kill people at Canterbury."

"And the others?"

Ted perused the names again. "I think I've heard the bottom one, Joel Linwood. Yeah, he's been on the radio before, too, until they went all quiet, that is. Him and Augustus told everyone about how they want to help." Ted handed the paper back to me and recoiled. "Old habits die hard, huh? David Warren is a new one to me."

I cursed under my breath. They knew less than I did. I understood that the chances were slim, but I needed to try anyway. Besides, I only had one other vague lead and it was one that I really did not want to involve myself with. I did not want to hear the mouth of _another_ self-righteous old man, but at least Hagan would directly insult me, unlike Owyn. I'd have to find time to pay him a visit, wherever he was.

"Why do you want to know about them, anyways?" Beat-Up folded his hands in his lap and eyed me suspiciously. "Those kinds of people are better left alone. They'll put someone in a shallow grave faster than look they'd look at 'em. That's the way they've always been."

I folded the paper and shoved it into my jacket pocket. "None of your business."

"Hell, I can tell you've got some grudge by the sound of your voice. And I don't know you from Adam, but trust me, having a grudge is something that'll only hurt you in the end. Others if you ain't. 'Specially when you're going toe-to-toe with those fellas."

"Were you not listening to me? I said to back off." My fingers twitched as he tried to delve deeper into my matters.

The old looked me over and squinted. "You part of the Brotherhood or just a vigilante?"

I raised my gun again and took two steps back. "Do you really want an answer?"

Beat-Up froze. "Nope, I'll leave you to your business if that's what you want. Just wanted to give you a perspective you might not've thought about. Sorry for prying."

A smart move on his part, but the same could not be said for the approaching fourth member of our little gathering. Behind me, I heard the click of a revolver. Ted and Beat-Up's expressions changed.

"D-Don't fucking move," a man ordered with a cracking voice. He pushed the gun into the nape of my neck.

Shaking. Nervous. He'll hesitate. I sighed. "Huh. I thought we could be friendly, have a nice conversation then part ways without a scratch. Guess not."

"Put the gun down, Chuck!" Beat-Up pleaded.

"Do it! Shoot 'em!" Ted encouraged while I still had my gun pointed at him.

I took the initiative. My hands found Chuck's revolver quickly and my head found his nose even faster. He stumbled back. My shotgun accelerated his movement. Chuck dropped to the ground in a puddle.

I spun around to find Ted fumbling with his pistol. He fired one shot and missed. My foot smashed his chest. Ted hit the shelves and fell on them. I stomped on his face. Fingers grasped at them and pushed back. I stomped again. He became still, but he wasn't dead. That needed fixing. I stomped again.

Beat-Up fell over himself to reach for Chuck's gun. I grabbed him by the throat and pinned him to the ground. He pressed the revolver against my temple but my thumb held the hammer.

"I thought you didn't want to die today, Beat-Up."

"I don't! Let me go and I won't come back!"

"I find that hard to believe when you still have a gun pointed at my face. What's your name from, anyway? Your old gang? Raiders, right?"

"Yes," he coughed out and tried to remove my hand from his neck, "But, I'm a scavenger now! My raiding days are over!"

"How many people did you hurt, then? How many did you kill?"

"I don't know! I hurt a lot of people!"

I tightened my grip on his neck. He went pale. "How many begged? How does it feel to be on the receiving end?"

Tears began to streak down his face. "So many of them!" Beat-Up coughed and heaved. "I'm sorry, kid! Did I hurt your family? I'm so sorry if I did, but please just let me go!"

I gritted my teeth while he prayed to anyone who would listen. People like him seemed to be the root of all my troubles. People who would happily snuff out another life to get a handful of caps or a shiny trinket then sleep at night without a single issue. The shiny trinket that was taken in my case happened to be fixated inside a Memorial, but to my reasoning, the point still stood. Still, he was remorseful, which was much more than could be said for others. "It's too late to say sorry." I wrested the gun from his hand and stood up.

"Please, no." His eyes squeezed shut when the black eye of his demise peered back.

I pulled the trigger.

The elder man flinched and cried out in the moments he thought would be his last.

They weren't his last, not even close. The damn thing was empty and Chuck only intended on scaring me. If only he wouldn't have pointed it at me, things would be different. I dropped the gun to the ground and stepped over Beat-Up.

Beat-Up didn't move for a few moments and instead took long breaths while lying flat on the concrete ground. I collected what I wanted from the scavenging trio and entered the dark once more, leaving the carnage behind. No more deaths were necessary, and there's an argument to be made that none were necessary that day. Tearing myself up for it wasn't worth the trouble, though, as both the Brotherhood and past events had instilled in me that naivety and a trusting nature in the wastes make for a nice grave marker. Everything else is another tally on the barrel and another day to fight on. But no amount of ethical defending prevented me from hearing the quiet sobs that followed me down the corridors until the space between us became adequate insulation. And for that, I'd have another tallied sin to atone for when the time came.

* * *

Dust clouds and howling winds swirled around me as I looked down the hill at the ramshackle town of Megaton once again. The noon-day sun reflected off the metallic walls with a brilliant sheen. No wonder the town was prone to trouble; it stood on the rolling landscape like a gaudy invite to all sorts of shady folk.

I followed with my eyes the road to Springvale where a lone figure stood atop a shack with tools to repair the townhouses left unclaimed for centuries. Hammer strikes on wood sounded, the audio of progress and expansion. In my absence, the former Big-Towners had begun to build into the town of Springvale and made Megaton that much bigger in the process.

Curious feet dragged me to the nearby house where a rather diminutive man on the roof was banging away at patchwork shingles to pin them down. Shorty, humming a tune, had become rather industrious in my absence, it appeared.

He looked over the edge, did a double take when he realized I was standing there and rolled back out of sight. "Holy shit, man! I don't have anything!" he cried out and tossed the hammer over.

I sidestepped the falling tool and performed my best ghoul voice to answer with. "Easy! I'm not here to hurt you! Just lookin' for the word around town! Maybe trade a little." I rubbed my neck, throat already stinging from the strange demand it was receiving.

It took a few moments, but Shorty peered over the edge once again to see that I had not one weapon pointed at him. He then revealed himself fully. "Oh, uh. Sorry. I'm a little jumpy out here is all. Can't be too careful, you know? Thought you were a runt Ugly, to tell the truth."

He didn't recognize my voice. Success. I scratched at my throat again. "So, what are you doing out here if it isn't safe?"

The small man pushed his foot on a piece of roof that stuck up. "I don't have much of a choice since there isn't too much room in the walls. But, hey, it's better than the shithole I used to live in. I haven't seen one super mutant or a single slaver in months! But, you wanted to know about more than just my troubles. Thing is, though," Shorty shrugged. "I, uh, don't know what to tell you. Besides the Brotherhood and Enclave duking it out sometimes, there isn't much going on out here. We're in the boondocks, don't you know that?"

"No, I'm not from around here. Different, um, part of the wastes? Up north."

Shorty shielded his eyes with his hand and squinted down at me. "Well, just watch your ass if you want to go adventuring out here. The Raiders have all but dried up and left since some locals wiped out Ford's gang a few months back, but it's still dangerous with the chance of the Enclave coming and slaughtering us all." Shorty gained a smirk as he thought to himself. "Poor Ford. The man was tossed into the tunnels by that vault guy to fix the water in town, and he's got a collar around his neck now, to boot. I don't even know if he's seen the sun in a month. Maybe he shouldn't have threatened us, then, huh?"

Ford was still under control. That was good, but now a different threat loomed over the growing settlement. "You're worried about the Enclave?"

Shorty lost the smirk. "Man, you really aren't from around here," he mumbled, "I see them way off on the horizon every now and then, hear one of their flying machines, I think, but it's hard to tell from here. I do know that I saw a big truck out that way," Shorty pointed behind me, "a couple of weeks ago. It might have been them or Talon, but either one is likely to be more trouble than we need."

I adjusted my mask. "You're rather accepting of impending doom."

Shorty shrugged again. "Eh, I've spent the past three years looking over my shoulder, worrying about dying and it didn't do me any good besides keeping me awake at night. Maybe keeping my door open for the Wasteland Reaper will."

The last time I heard about the rumor about the Reaper was when I reached the Washington Monument. Morgan's men told me about it, but it seemed that the rumor had staying power that I didn't figure. I brushed it off as more useless gossip.

"And Talon? I've heard the name before, but what's happening with them?"

Shorty leaned his head back and looked to the clouds. He was growing tired of my questions. "They're getting brave again, that's what. They've been reclusive for a while, but that looks to be coming to an end. They popped up in Rivet City a while back, sent the guards on high alert. All they did was ask some questions, but the people weren't taking any chances. For us, we'll be okay as long as we have these two mercenaries in town. And if not, a friend of mine, Red, says that she can ask the Brotherhood of Steel for help."

Two mercenaries, an apt description for my friends. It was very likely he was talking about them. "I'd like to speak to these mercs of yours. Are they around?"

Shorty slid down the ladder and dusted his hands on his overalls. "Nope. Sorry, friend, they went to Arefu to see what's going on there in case of another Canterbury. But uh, don't get any ideas. We're still well armed here without them."

Damn. I didn't think that Josef and Ana would still travel around without me, but perhaps that was a little bit unreasonable to expect them to stay put. They were both prone to involving themselves in matters of total strangers, if their travels with me were any indication. "I see."

"Not only that, but I wouldn't be surprised if the 101 came running back if there was trouble."

I looked up the hill, bewildered at that number, the same one that sat on my back for so many years. "Like the vault up the road from here?"

Shorty nodded, then bent over to recover his tool. "Yep. Big guy, small brain. Not as big as you, though, and half super mutant, or something like that. He came out of that vault, hence the number. Haven't heard from him in a while, but I think the last thing anyone knew he was going to the Jefferson Memorial. He might be, y'know," Shorty traced a line across his neck and made a noise in the back of his throat. "But maybe not. It wouldn't be the first time he decided not to die."

Was I becoming a folk-hero to the people of Megaton without realizing it? That was an odd feeling, especially since I was standing before one of the believers. I won't lie, though, it felt good to be appreciated in some way, even if I was assumed dead. "Sounds like a real badass to me. Well, thanks for the info."

"Hey, you seem like a good guy, for a ghoul, so if you're looking for a place to cool your heels, stop in town for a drink. Just avoid Moriarty's if you don't want to be abused for being a zombie." Shorty ascended the ladder again and began to bang away on the roof.

Judging by the way Shorty spoke of it, Megaton was up and coming. I wanted to stop in and visit to see it for myself, but Morgan's words rang in my head and insisted that doing so would be an awful idea. He'd simply have to settle for the word-of-mouth information I gathered from Shorty. Any more pressing would likely raise suspicion, and no matter what, I could not take the chance of blowing my cover on the first day. Armed with a better understanding of what I missed, I waved goodbye to Shorty and continued to the outpost.


	35. Whatever It Takes

Chapter Thirty-Five

Whatever It Takes

~ March 16, 2278 ~

I looked over my orders once more and took a deep breath. None of the directions were more difficult than the ones I received inside the Anchorage simulations. Get in, get out. Preferably in at least one piece, two at the most, but the directives carried a permanence that a combat sim lacked. Whereas I would be ejected from the simulation if I were to fail because of death or some other manner, that wasn't going to happen during this mission. One error could spell my end in an extravagant script and I would be only another vaporized wastelander to add to their collection. Part of that was exciting since the rules that applied to me also applied to them. Finally, after months of brooding and nurturing the anger inside that damn headquarters, I was about to strike back at them. I almost wanted them to see my face on the minuscule chance they would recognize me. A puff-up for my pride, if anything, but I reflected on Sarah's teachings to silence that irrational thinking.

"Pride is something you earn the right to have, not something you can claim before the battle starts."

I fished my binoculars up and peered through them to plan my approach on the impromptu headquarters. Fog lights filled the blackness of the night in their conical vision with white and revealed any movement to the watchers and their yellow eyes. A man in a tan uniform marched about the area and spoke to one of the other two figures in the black power armor who saluted upon the end of their conversation. I couldn't hear what he said, but it must have been related to the boxcar-sized, metallic container in the middle of the outpost. He marched towards it and adjusted the lock, then sat down under a tent next to it. The green glow of a terminal screen peeked out.

That made two targets for gathering intel. I began my descent, using the hum of their generator to mask the sounds of my sliding. Pitter-pattering rocks hopped from the ground-in positions they occupied and tumbled ahead to strike the boulders. The gaze of the sentries was easily identifiable by the yellow, which I attempted to keep out of my vision. I assumed that was their only way of catching me, and if I couldn't see their eyes, the wouldn't see me. Barricades were set up to repel locals, but the wide holes in their defenses were my way in, which I naturally gravitated towards.

Closer, closer. Careful, careful. Each step had to deliberate and deliberately quiet. The keystrokes from the officer typing his message were sharp and loud enough. The generator was buzzing along. The soldiers hadn't the faintest notion that I was lurking among them. Everything was going perfectly. All I needed was for everyone to remain in their positions.

A gentle beeping noise came from the middle of the encampment. What was that noise, I wondered while I pushed myself behind a metallic barrier and peeked my head over the top. An ear-piercing beep was followed by an alarm that sounded akin to grinding metal.

Suddenly the barricade seemed like a bad place to be. I rolled behind a steel crate as a hail of bullets erupted from the nose of the turret. How could I have missed it? Stupid! The two armored soldiers rotated to sweep the area, red glow on the ends of their rifles cooking the air around them and turning it rancid.

"We've got a hostile, men!" The officer marched out from the tent, green-tipped pistol illuminating his face.

Not one of them caught me in their line of sight, but they would soon by the direction of the turrets firing. I moved out from cover to the side of the large container. I leaned out to fire once at the bullet-spewing machine. Electric crackles and scrunched metal. I fired again. The hail of bullets slowed. A laser buzzed at me and passed. Too close for comfort. I held my gun out and fired twice more. The storm ceased.

Heavy footsteps drew closer. I was running out of time, and they were advancing. I shot the lock off the container and slipped inside it. They charged towards me, but I shoved a metal rod in between the handles to prevent them from entering.

I had seconds to think of a plan as the officer shouted for them to get a cutter and saw the door off from the hinges. He sounded panicked, for what I didn't know. I stopped to suck down air into my shuddering lungs. I cursed my reactionary nature once I saw that I effectively locked myself into a kill-box with nowhere to run or hide. Another lesson from Sarah surged through my head in desperation.

"The fight isn't over until you're dead."

I pinched my forearm. Still alive. I slowed my breathing and cleared my mind. The presence of smaller boxes became evident. With shaking hands, I ripped them open to find a handful of blue and silver bulb-like objects stacked neatly inside. I knew these objects. Pulse grenades, colloquially known as "Paladin-zappers."

I flicked on my Pip-Boy light and held it up to reveal all the spoils of the container. Among all was a windowed pod pushed to the back, not unlike the kind that houses a Protectron when they aren't deployed. I glanced inside to see a featureless, lightless face peering back at me, sitting atop a body of fibrous material that resembled muscular tissue overlaid with blackened plates on the chest. It was too small to be power-armor like I expected from them but it was clearly of a combat suit of some make, simply one I didn't recognize.

"Get the damn thing open!" a voice barked as the hinges on the doors began to be sawed off to remind me that I had no time to admire.

I booted up the terminal attached to the left side of the pod and slammed away on the keys until the option to unlock it was listed. With a hiss and an expulsion of steam, the door opened and released the armor. I dropped everything I had and looked at the suit. Great, Paul, you've removed almost all your clothing, now what? I had to take a gamble that it was worth the trouble.

I removed it from the stand and slipped into it, feeling like I was putting on a wetsuit from how tight the fit was. In any other instance, I might've been self-conscious, but that didn't seem to bother me at the time. I placed the helmet on my head and sealed the space at my neck. Lights began to shine, green and yellow, and with a rush of black, I felt metal claws sink into my skin. My knees hit the ground while needles jabbed themselves into what felt like every pressure point on my body, binding themselves with my muscles and veins. Then, the pain vanished in an instant and I felt a rush of adrenaline. The suit loosened. I opened my eyes to see green readings scrolling up before me.

"Running diagnostics," a soothing voice whispered to me, tickling my ear in the process. "Compiling user condition data." A flood of numbers and text filled my vision with green, then vanished again. "Warning; traces of Forced Evolutionary Virus detected in bloodstream. Warning; cannot determine blood type."

A line with the four cardinal directions labeled aligned in the bottom left of vision, red blips lighting up underneath it. On the right, another line with a percentage reading. "Warning; hostile life signs in vicinity. Combat functionality enabled. Engaging sensory-augmentation mode. Warning; primary driver corrupted. Begin driver repair operations?"

I swatted at the menu option that appeared. It did nothing. "Jesus Christ! Yes, just do it!" It accepted one of those words or my swatting and began the process.

The doors of the container dropped off with a resounding thud and flashing yellow eyes pierced the dark to find me.

"Engaging muscular augmentation mode," the voice stated.

Now that, I could discern the meaning of. Through the course of my training, I became physically stronger than most everyone in the Brotherhood due to a combination of my partially mutant body and hard work, but with those words, I knew I found the tie-breaker. "Oh, hell yeah," I agreed as a surge of energy rippled across me and my body become light as the air around me.

Cornered, I barreled towards the closest soldier and rammed my plated shoulder against him. He let out a grunt as he was pushed back.

The other held his rifle above his head to smash mine in. I grabbed the laser rifle and pulled it from his metal hands. Two shots turned the face of his helmet orange and bright. The other regained his balance. His foot stomped the ground and he put all his weight behind a swing of his fist. I dropped the rifle and caught his hand. The other careened towards me. I grabbed that, too.

With all his weight bearing down on me, I felt my arms straining to push back. My legs neared failure and my back ached as he pushed ever harder on me, using all the strength held in the fusion powered suit against me.

"Warning; approaching weight limit. Warning."

I let out a shout and pushed back against the weight with every ounce of my being. I turned my legs and put both to work as well and stood up from the ground. He responded by lifting me. I slammed against the barricade and rolled with my fingers thrust into the earth. Back on my feet, a blast of green ooze sailed between the space from shoulder to neck. I felt the heat and smelled the plasma scent even though the helmet. It splattered on a tree and burned a hole through to the next. Clearly, I was not invincible even with the unfamiliar technology if I could feel that much heat. I slid behind one of the barricades to buy myself some time.

"Warning; kinetic absorption module booting up. Warning; kinetic absorption module version is Beta 0.9.3. Warning; kinetic absorption functionality is disabled."

"Do you ever stop with the fucking warnings?" I shouted back to the disembodied voice.

"Disable notifications?"

"Damn it. No!"

I looked at my options. A big, fat, total of zero. Time to improvise. I wrapped my fingers around the edges of the barricade and rocked it back and forth. The hardened ground split open and pushed the sickly, grey grass aside. The rods holding the wall down came loose and I held it up like a shield. A dance of neon reds and greens crashed against the steel wall. The air grew hot around me and the twisted, burnt metal and plastic scent filtered through the mask.

I moved quicker than normal due to the augmentation and with the forcefulness of an angered bull. I felt the negligible pushback as I overwhelmed a smaller, meatier, form. I raised the wall up to find the Officer, disoriented, then dropped it on his chest to feel and hear the crunch and see the spray from his mouth.

A scorching breastplate put that small victory to sleep. I dropped the wall again and gritted my teeth. The searing heat showed no sign of subsiding. I kept the wall up with one hand and fell back, fighting off the shivers from the pain. Taking down two power-armored enemies was going to be much harder than a normal man in a bullet-proof vest. I needed the pulse grenades.

I grabbed the rods on the v-shaped barricade and dragged it back and forth on the ground. Either I would find failure or kick up a dust-storm to remember. There was no in between. A pair of yellow eyes appeared to my left and a red flash outshone them. I felt the heat on my side and I dropped the barricade. I crumpled to the ground and couldn't move without the pain burning through me again. Failure it was.

"Warning; major injury detected. Injecting stimpak." I felt the coolness filter into one of the points closest to my burn, yet the pain yielded only slightly. It would take time for the tissue to regenerate properly. "Warning; stimpak reserves depleted."

Damn straight there's no more. Why did I expect anything different?

The duo approached, poised and with all the power to end me. I braced for impact, but unafraid, waiting for an end that hadn't come. One looked down at me, then rolled me over with his foot.

"Damn, so you just slip into it? But how did he…hm," he mused under his breath. He indulged himself for a few moments to admire the new technology I had reclaimed from them but knew that he was going to be interrupted.

"Why the hell did you shoot at him? We weren't supposed to damage the thing!" the furthest, second Enclave soldier exclaimed. He jabbed the red-tipped gun at me, finger on the trigger and stopped a few feet away from me. "We're supposed to bring it back in one piece, remember?"

The first hoisted me up on his shoulder and planted me directly on the burning spot. I groaned as the hard surface pressed against me without a care. "I know that! But how else do we get him _out_ of it? You saw how he lifted the damn barricade!"

Number Two waved his rifle around. "Like I'd fucking know how to get him out! Do I look like I've ever been part of R&D? This isn't what was supposed to happen. We were just supposed to bring the suit to the Jefferson. Done and done!" He shook his head when his glowing eyes found the smashed body of the officer.

I grinned under the mask at a job well done.

"Fuckin' rookie. You ought to know to expect the unexpected." Number One holding me jostled my limp body around again. He tightened his grip. "The Colonel isn't going to be happy about this." He carried me over to the tent where an unoccupied chair awaited.

Like a bag of potatoes, I was tossed carelessly into the chair. I lay motionless but fully aware. I knew they wouldn't risk damaging the suit any more than they already had. All I needed to do was stall for time until the suit was finished repairing the drivers. Then, I'd find out what it could really do.

"God in Heaven, he weighs a ton. I doubt we'd be able to move him without power-armor on," Number One complained. "What the hell are wastelanders eating nowadays?"

The rookie removed his helmet and set it on the table. The heavy bags under his eyes told me what I needed to know of his state. More than that, he revealed a weak point on their model of armor. It was between the neck and the chest. With enough finesse, I could manage that.

"Did you kill him? He isn't moving around." He adjusted a lamp until it pointed at me and filled the tent with light.

"No, I didn't. And I doubt one stray zap is enough. Probably passed out or something. I'm sure he'll be unconscious long enough for me to figure out a way to peel this thing off him." The experienced soldier squatted and tried to look into my helmet but found the sleek cover over my face revealed no secrets to him. I would later come to understand it was a one-way window. He grabbed my head and twisted it, evidently looking for a release button or something like it.

"What should I do?"

One twisted my head around again and loosened any stiffness in my neck that hadn't left already. "You can start fixing your fuck up by making a report, rookie. Radio in and tell 'em what's been going on out here and that we're headin' back soon. And don't skimp on the details, either, or you know what happens. We'll pack up and move out soon as I get this thing off him."

I looked in the corner at the progress bar in the corner of my display for the driver repair. Seventy percent. Seventy-one. Almost there, I only needed a few more moments and I'd have another weapon in my arsenal.

" _My_ fuck up? You're the one that fried him!" Number Two pointed out.

"Yes, your fuck up. You let him get in there and I did what had to be done. Now leave me alone while I think," Number One commanded and continued to observe until eventually, he dusted off something on the chest that I missed. He chuckled at whatever he saw, although he did so with humor befitting a funeral. "Still putting on the stars just like that, eh? Some things just aren't sacred anymore, are they?" he said to himself leaning back on his heels. "Fucking joke…" he trailed off as he stood to full height.

Ninety-one percent. I began plotting another method of escaping while he paced back and forth for the better part of a minute. He was growing impatient, but why was he in such a hurry? What was the cause for their unnerved nature, anyway? Well, besides the obvious.

"Fuck it! They can't even bother to send a Bird out for us! How in the hell are we supposed to carry all this shit…" The rookie threw his hands up and re-entered the tent. "Fine! Let's just start pulling stuff off until we find a zipper or something. We can patch the plating up later as long as all the systems stay intact."

"Oh no, you don't." The other stopped him by holding his arm up. "My head isn't going on the chopping block for another one of your grade-a fuck ups. Not for two in one day."

Only a few more seconds, but I wasn't sure whether to spend them praying or laughing. Just keep bickering.

Rookie pushed the other's arm out of the way. "Don't you think it'd be better to tell the Colonel it was damaged when we found it instead of bringing it to him already occupied?"

"Then how do we explain the destruction? 'Sorry about the beat-up tech, Colonel, sir, we were feelin' frisky!' Hell no, we aren't bringing it to him in pieces. We'll do it some other way."

"And burning it with a laser was good enough for you, I guess."

"Watch your fucking mouth, rookie. I've been doing this since your voice was crackin'. If you don't like it, you can slink back to R.R. and hope the President opens up again."

Ninety-nine percent.

"Look, I ain't getting old and dying in a bunker like he's wanting us to do. I'm sick and tired of hiding from the world. I mean, the day we left was the first time I've ever seen the sun! We waited down there for long enough, and I think it's time we…"

"Warning; Sensory-augmentation mode fully operational."

I curled my fingers and made a fist. It was time to kick some ass.

"Engaging sensory-augmentation mode."

A pinch in the middle of my spine caused me to wince. The sounds around me grew louder, the thumping of my heartbeat, the blood flowing in their veins, the pebble collapsing ten paces from the perimeter, and the most light abandoned its luster and turned grey like the monochrome worlds in the old holotape movies. I began to move, yet the two did not spring into action as quickly as I anticipated. I pried my fingers under the helmet of the older man, then twisted it until it was easily removed. His eyes turned to me at last, widening in shock. His dried, cracked lips parted, jaw dropped, and finally, his head began to turn. I crushed his nose with the helmet, the crimson spray splattering outwards and sparkling while he was propelled in the other direction.

I vaulted over his shoulder and fell on the other, who only managed to place his hand on the rifle he so unwittingly discarded earlier. Bad move, rookie. With all my weight bearing down on him he was pushed off-balance, one foot up in the air in a vain attempt to regain what had been lost. I planted my feet on the ground and dug my heels into the dirt.

"Engaging muscular augmentation mode."

I wrapped my arms around the waist of the Number Two, barely able to touch my fingertips due to the distance I needed to reach and hurled him downwards. Vein-like cracks spread across the point of impact, particles of dust billowed out and the land itself shifted as he came to a sudden stop.

I glanced at the percentage reading. Twenty-five percent. I needed to finish it.

I reached out and grabbed the laser rifle he hoped to use against me. With one foot planted atop his middle, I began to fire a steady stream of light at him. Over and over and over until the blackened figure's chest melted, then gave way to the being underneath. Two down, one left, but not for long.

Ten percent.

The final enemy that remained was charging at me with his arms outstretched. I widened my stance and braced for impact. I held up the rifle as a callback to my long lost Ass-Beater. I heard his jaw crack satisfyingly. I grabbed him as his head turned away and pulled down and thrust my knee into his face.

He stood back up, arms sloppily raised and spat on the ground. "C'mon then, I'll show you…"

I pulled the trigger and dropped him once and for all.

"Warning; energy depleted," the voice advised monotone as ever as the percentage reading ticked down to zero. The equal brightness of the world returned to the contrasting light and dark again, the sounds grew quiet and the passage of time sprinted to regain the pace lost. The world became as it always was once again.

And my head felt like it had been split from the tip of my nose to the nape of my neck under the crippling weight of my own body. My vision was blurred and my breath became shallow, but I stood above them as the only victor of the skirmish. Even if I felt like vomiting.

And then the full gravity of my situation set in before I could regain my composure. It sapped my breath away once again and I counted the bodies.

Three. I won against three of them.

Several months ago, one was more than enough to send me running in fear. That much wasn't surprising, but the sense of naturalness in the act and the gore is what threw me for a loop. Living most of my daily life in the Anchorage simulations must have done more of a number on me than I thought since I instinctively waited for the trio to turn into a mass of flickering blue sparks and disappear, leaving their weapons behind. But they didn't. It was nothing like the enemies in the virtual space. To that part of me, it was a meaty satisfaction that I could taste. I drew in careful breaths and refocused myself on the goal as my mind began to drift.

I did what was needed. Nothing more. Nothing less. Whatever it took to get what I wanted. That was the important part.

I sat in front of the terminal the officer had been typing away so carelessly on and booted it up. The officer had been logging each day as it happened and appeared to be in the process of doing so when I ruined his relaxing evening. I helped myself to the juicy secrets held within, as was my duty. Several entries were nothing but endless ramblings of a man who clearly had too much time on his hands, yet as I skimmed the long-winded logs I noticed the consistent dread they collectively shared.

 _NOAH O'DWYER_

 _FIELD LOG: 3 Jan 2278_

 _Had a scare today. I saw what looked like a few Paladins or Knaves or whatever the hell they call themselves nowadays in the distance. Turned out to be that offshoot of them that dislikes Lyons and his methods, so they passed us by. Guess that makes two of us that don't like the old son of a bitch. The Brotherhood of Steel is coming at us with their claws out, headed right for the neck. And no one is surprised. But we keep fighting back. Just like we always do. I know I'm supposed to remember the Oil Rig, but that was too long ago for me to even worry about anymore._

 _NOAH O'DWYER_

 _FIELD LOG: 5 Feb 2278_

 _Shot two molerats and a radscorpion today. Then I watched the horizon through my scope until I had to play I Spy to keep myself awake or from pulling the trigger on myself. I've wondered every day that we're out in the field if what we're doing even matters any more. I trust the Colonel, but does he even realize what we're up against? I wish I could talk to my men, but I know that would be a bad idea this many days in. I can see it in the way they move. They're dead-tired and honestly, I'm tired, too._

Being myself, I found a way to derive a smidgen of enjoyment that they were miserable before I made my grand entrance, but the musings of weathered soldiers would likely make little difference to Morgan. The odds of him caring about the broken spirit of a single encampment weren't very high but enough of them and I may have had something. I needed information, some tangible intel that I could feed to Banks. I reached up to rub my sleep-deprived eyes and found the helmet in the way. Hard blinks would suffice, and I continued to browse the entries. Finally, an interesting tidbit appeared on-screen.

 _NOAH O'DWYER_

 _FIELD LOG: 14 Mar 2278_

 _Bad day today. Or good? I don't even know anymore. We headed out before dawn to get the mission underway, the boys were in a fighting mood because of the change in routine. It was almost inspiring, but things went to shit almost right after that. It was going so well. Should've fucking figured that it wouldn't last long. I lost Jude and Martinez (Rest in Peace), but their sacrifice wasn't in vain. Fuckers in R &D are going to be licking their wounds for a while, at least. Hell, I'd pay to see the look on their faces when they realize we slipped out in all the hell-raising. Felt just like the good old days with all the shooting. As soon as we can figure out how to make it work then we'll be heading back to the Jefferson. Colonel Autumn's going to be thrilled, I know it. Then everything can be like it was before and we can get back on track._

The journal entries ended there, leaving the past two days unaccounted for. I rummaged through my pack and lifted the mass of tangled cables and microphone to lay on the table. Convenience and utility were in the Scribes' mind when they devised the peripheral, but I doubt anything in the realm of a beautiful design was. Muttered curses escaped my lips as I worked the tangled cables into straight lines and laid them flat on the table.

I flicked to the radio screen of my Pip-Boy and tuned to the channel that Banks instructed me to use. It crossed my mind that the use of it wasn't the safest way of transmission, but the Brotherhood was confident enough in the integrity of the signal, so that mattered little. Besides, it wasn't my business if any of their advantages were lost to the enemy. Lyons had me on a chain, and so long as he held it, I would never be free.

"This is Prodigal, checking in. What are you wearing?" I crooned into the microphone. No response. Because, of course, he wouldn't answer that. I groaned. "Alright, I get it. How's the weather?"

The speaker crackled to life. "It's sunny in Miami. How's it in the Everglades?"

"It's swampy in the Everglades."

"Man O' War here," Banks answered, "It's only been seventeen hours. You found anything yet or is this just to waste my time?"

"A little bit of both." I kicked my feet up on the table and leaned back in the chair. "Turns out the place was a bit of a treasure trove, actually."  
"Of what, exactly? Information or tech?"

"Both, but I'll start with the important things. Seems that they've been busy developing some new technology. Yeah, I know, got the chills, didn't you?" I tugged at the helmet of the armor, still no closer to understanding how to open it. "The only problem is that I have no idea how to get it off me."

"Interesting, interesting. Would you stop beating around the damn bush?"

I huffed a laugh, pleased with myself. Mission; get under Banks's skin, accomplished in record time. "It's a kind of…armor. I think. Things went south when I began the assault and I uh…was cornered. But I locked myself inside the container they have out here and opened the pod that was inside. It seemed normal at first, just a little tight, but then it became a bit strange. I could feel it when it started digging into me, and it hurt like hell. Now, I uh, don't know how to get it off me."

"Anything else notable about its function?"

"Well, it gave me a blood test while it was at it. Is that anything to worry about?"

"Unlikely, but…hm. Sounds to me like a symbiotic suit of some sort, or it has all the marks of one. Binds itself to the user's body and adjusts according to their physical and genetic makeup. Perfect fit every time, but it has a steeper learning curve than power armor. A few more bells and whistles instead of just put it on and run at the bad guys. A handful corporations were looking into the technology before the War, but it didn't get too far because of the risks involved in binding something to yourself for any length of time, not to mention the financial costs. Millions of dollars just for a prototype, if the West Tek files in our archives were being honest. Anything else special about it?"

That wasn't a comfortable idea, the symbiotic part. I swallowed hard, realizing that I may not be taking off the new outfit as soon as I liked and yet it sounded as if I happened across something better than the T-45's the Brotherhood hoarded. I poked at the helmet a few more times. It opened from the middle and moved in four different directions, the cool night air reaching my face at last and abated some of my worries. "A few modes as far as I can tell. One enhances muscles and the other senses."

"Senses?"

"Yes. When I used that function, everything around me got loud, bright and slow. It was like something out a damn comic book, really. I'm not complaining, though, because it was especially helpful when combined with the muscular augmentation mode. There's another one. Kinetic absorption, I think it was, but it doesn't work."

I heard the click of a pen on the other end. "That's more advanced than what West-Tek had in mind by a few leaps, but I wouldn't expect any less from these cockroaches. Not a synthetic man, but it's still a major tech development for this day and age."

I vaguely recalled hearing about a synthetic person before. Dr. Zimmer at the River City science lab mentioned it all those months ago. "Has the Brotherhood been looking into that android rumor?"

"That's not what we're talking about, Prodigal," Banks replied in an impressive display of swatting down my question, "What's the less important part you're talking about?"

I read over the terminal entry once again. "The officer was journaling each day out here and he mentioned a group called R&D. What is that?"

"Research and Development," Banks said with a tone that said I should know that little fact already, "Scientific division of the Enclave. That's probably where the suit was made. The kind of horrors they came up with back on the West Coast were pretty bold, from what I've heard, but making armor? That's an odd shift from the bio-weapons they had on-hand. Maybe after losing everything on the Rig, they've shifted focus to more traditional means of extermination, the fucking animals."

"Well, mad scientists or not, it doesn't sound like the men here were fond of them. One of the entries mentions that they even stole the armor. Any reason why they would do that?"

Banks went quiet for a length of time, but I heard movement on the other end. "That's…fascinating. No, no reason that I know of. The Enclave usually works like a well-oiled machine and having any sort of strife is damn near out of character. Maybe…"

"Maybe what?" I asked.

"Shut up. I'm thinking," he snapped. More silence between us, but it was one that I could read into like a fine novel. Banks was holding his tongue in a death grip and letting the pops of static from the speaker cover it. "Nevermind. It's likely you just ran into a group of deserters or wannabe rebels, so don't lose sleep over it. In any case, good work on putting the bastards down."

"Yeah, thanks a bundle. Should I bring the suit back to HQ?"

"Fuck no. The damn thing might have a self-destruct sequence or something. Not only that, but we don't even know how to get it off you, so it wouldn't help us if you did bring it back. You just stay in the field for now."

I removed my feet from the desk and stomped them on the ground. "And do what? Pick flowers for you and the Old Gasbag?"

" _Gather intel_ , like I fucking told you. Get creative, Fre…Prodigal. We let you run free for a reason, so get to running fun-and-fancy-free. Man O' War, out." Banks cut off communication and the speaker expelled static.

Still, it was better than his chastising.

I dropped the microphone and thought back over his false nonchalance. Did he really believe that I would fall for that? How much longer was the Brotherhood going to keep secrets from me? I laughed at the futility of the question. Forever, probably, and then simply say it was nothing I should worry myself about just like every question I asked while I was locked up. Fine, if that was what they wanted. I would go on about my business and leave it in their hands. I didn't bother to set a beacon, but I gathered whatever I wanted from the container, put my clothes back on over the new suit and vanished into the darkness to leave three dead bodies to rot. As I wandered through the darkness, I looked over the map on my Pip-Boy and zoomed in on Megaton's location.

Then, I tugged at my sleeve and revealed the black material coating my skin. As much as I wanted to go at that moment, I still knew next to nothing about whatever was on me. Unlike the orders I was given, I was not able to ignore the nagging doubts about my safety. Banks had planted the thought of a self-destruct sequence in my head and I wasn't able to rule out the possibility. Maybe there was a diagnostic system I could use.

The throbbing pain returned in full force before that thought could saturate. I coughed and looked at my hand. I felt light-headed. "Tomorrow, then," I grumbled and massaged my pulsing forehead. With my thumb, I wiped the corner of my lip and shook my hand until it was dry.

Whatever it took, huh? If I could travel back in time and ask myself what that looks like, I wonder what I would have said.

I wonder if my guess would be anywhere close to the truth.

I wonder if that would even change anything in my mind.

* * *

 **Sigh. Pour one out for ol' laptop, boys and girls. And yes, I'm still pretty ticked that it's been so long since I've posted that I've missed a whopping 71 entries in the Fallout franchise.  
**

 **Oh...WAIT.  
**

 **I'm going to try and get back in the swing of things again so I can look back on the summer of 2018 as only a half-loss.  
**


End file.
